The Avengers: Age Of Ultron
by ShieldRune5847
Summary: Check out the in progress-rewritten version of this story, which you can access through my profile. This story will be taken down at the end of July, so please check out the far better version.
1. ULTRA

The Avengers age of Ultron

**This story takes place after The House of Hades (HOO) and Guardians of the Galaxy (MCU)**

**Please Note: This is based in the MCU and is also a crossover series. It is not earth 616. Things, people and places will be changed from the comics, as well as things added.**

July 5th 2015, 8.30pm (UTC-06:00)

Third Person POV:

Julian Corates was a man who enjoyed his comfort. He was also a man who enjoyed his money, and he had plenty of it. As the lead developer, and also the executive of the uprising company ULTRA, it was no surprise at the wealth the man owned, obvious, from the moment you first saw his office.

Overlooking the beautiful city of Chicago Illinios alone, demanded an insane price, from whichever wealthy businessman could afford such a view in his office. Although the view of the Chicago would be more than enough to satisfy most people, Julian was not awed.

He intended, and continued to draw attention away from the view and towards the significance of his office. The main focal point, was defined by the built in and partially overhead aquarium which occupied the back wall, and most of the back half of the rooms roof space. Filled with aquatic life, including some of the most rare aquatic species in the world, were what awed, intrigued and interested Julian Corates.

As a leading technology designer in the world, (and third only to apple, and stark industries, first) most businessmen would congratulate themselves for achieving so much. However, when compared to the insane popularity of stark tech, his company almost didn't exist. And that, was what above all, angered Julian.

'Mr Corates, Mr Wayne Dare is now ready to see you.' The intercom buzzed.

Julian pushed down the button, ready to reply. 'Thanks Claire, Send him in would you?' Julian replied, to his assistant, who resided on the ground floor at the reception desk.

Normally, anyone looking for a deal would order online, or broker a deal with a sales representative, but with big buyers, and big names, Julian liked to personally scam money from them.

Leaning back in his plush leather chair he allowed himself to smile. Wayne Dare was looking to replace the entire Dare Enterprises company with updated tech, and had turned to ULTRA for the tech upgrades.

Julian smiled at the possible prospect of millions of dollars flooding into his bank account in the next couple days. If he managed to pull the deal off, it would be his biggest yet. Already reconstructing both his face and mind into the state of a crafty business man who cheated his customers, but tricked everyone into believing he was honest, Julian stood up and leaned against the front of the desk.

The double doors to the office opened and Wayne dare walked in. Compared to the serious business like aurora rolling off Mr Dare, and compared to other prestigious business man Julian had bargained deals with, he knew he'd make less then he'd previously anticipated. But he'd still make more than an honest business man should, and that was all that mattered.

The only trick to this deal was being prepared to lose a little, to overall gain more. The thought of the potential profits from this deal begin to enter his mind, profits that could cement ULTRA as one of the leading tech companies, and help the launch of the ULTRA store.

Currently the company sold computers, Smartphone's and tablets. Julian wanted to extend the product range to items such as TV's, headphones and sound systems.

He had even recently begun to develop plans for ULTRA glass, technology imbued glasses you could wear that operated alongside a Smartphone. The lens would be able to show the time, tell the weather, display emails, and even play videos, just to name a few things.

In the previous half a decade he had spent most of the company's earnings on new factory's and development labs, and was preparing to launch the ULTRA store. The company currently only sold products through an online service, or their headquarters in Chicago.

'Mr Dare!' Julian said almost too enthusiastically, a wide grin spreading over his face. 'It's a pleasure to meet a man as prestigious as yourself!'

'No, Julian, the pleasure's all mine.' Mr Wayne Dare replied.

Julian proceeded to shake his hand like an over excited puppy wagged its tail, then gestured toward the mini bar, and collection of chairs on the right hand side of the room.

'Come, come Mr Dare, nothing better than to start a deal with a good drink, I always say.'

'Of course,' Mr Dare replied. 'But please, call me Wayne.'

'Of course Wayne,' Julian replied, while scanning heavily clustered shelves of beer, wine and other alcoholic drinks. Frowning, he moved to the next shelve, unhappy that he was unable find what he was looking for.

'Ah, here we are!' Julian exclaimed at last. 'I have some lovely gold flake White wine, or a bottle of Dalmore 62, or Penfolds Ampoule, the only bottle left in the world, mind you. Only 12 were ever produced. This is a special occasion after all, Wayne.'

'Of course.' Wayne replied. 'But if you don't mind, I'll have the Gold flake white wine, Julian.'

Julian ducked behind the bar and came up with two massive square-shaped glasses.

'No problem at all Wayne. A good choice if I do say so myself, and I do.' Julian chuckled quietly to himself while he filled the glasses to about three-quarters full, and slid one across the mahogany wood surface to Wayne.

Julian walked around the bench and gestured to Wayne to follow him to the plush red couches situated around a massive feature glass table in the middle. The mini-lounge was located to the side of the room near his desk, and over-looked Chicago through the massive floor to ceiling glass windows, proving it a prime location for any meeting, deal or event Julian hosted, and it was probably the most frequently used parts of his office.

Julian leaned forward, as if he saw a speck of dust on one of the glass feature table legs, and made to get rid of it. Julian ran his hand down the gilded table legs, enjoying the feel of it on his hand.

After leaning back and taking a sip of the Gold flake white wine, Julian clapped his hands together and jumped up.

'Right. Well, we'd better get started. I'll just grab my laptop from my desk, and we'll be able to commence one of the best deals, that both of us, have made.' Wayne nodded in response, as Julian got up from the couch across from Wayne.

Julian walked past the couches and over to his desk, where multiple laptops of different varieties sat. Figuring it was best to take the bull by the horns; he grabbed the company's current best laptop and walked back to the lounge.

'So Wayne, I'm guessing if you've previously done some research into our company, then you'd know I'm currently booting up the third generation ULTRA HD Inspiron, the best laptop our company currently offers. Of course, I can imagine that you want a range of different devices to suit different purposes, so if you'll bear with me for a minute, I'll boot up a comparison list of our different devices.'

'Ok, here we are.' Julian announced after a couple minutes. 'I was thinking it would be easier if we could hash out exactly what you're looking to order before going through buying in bulk discounts and all the other what-not. It'll just be quicker and easier, and make my job a lot easier if you don't mind.'

'Of course not Julian. Very wise if you ask me,' he for a second, drawing in a deep breath, 'a wiser man has never said words wiser.'

Julian hesitated for a second, not quite understanding before both he and Wayne burst into laughter. 'Brilliant Mr. Dare!' Julian shouted when he had recovered enough to finally breathe again.

'Back to business my good fellow, back to business. We don't want to be here all night after all, even with this deal as pleasant as it is.'

'My Apo-' Julian stopped to clear his throat, as his voice came out slightly higher than usual. 'Sorry, I mean, my apologies Wayne.'

'Please, there's no need to apologise Julian, let's just hash this out as quickly as possible shall we?'

'Of course Wayne, of course. So... as I was saying earlier, or what I was going to say is that I was thinking we could work our way through the entry-base models for you're regular employees and work our way up to premium range.'

Julian paused to take a sip of the gold flake white wine, one of his favourite drinks when he saw his new favourite fish, the platinum arowana, or the white arowana swimming around the tank. He had recently added it to his collection of rare fish a couple days ago, when he managed to snag it for $450,000, as it was one of the most expensive tropical fish in the world.

Not to mention the strings he had to pull just to get it, as it was very difficult to legally obtain it, and had taken him several months of work to obtain it, but it was well worth it, as the beautiful fish was now his.

Approximately 35 inches long, this white arowana was larger than most of it's kind. The tricky part with this fish, was it required a very specific diet, as he had to feed it shrimps, muscles, crickets and frogs.

Most fish would just eat the fish food you could find at a typical pet store, but several, including the white arowana had a very specific diet, that Ed, his primary Aquarium keeper, had to see too.

After snapping out of his thoughts Julian continued on. 'Of course I'll have to inform you that all of the current generation models come with DDR4 memory clocked at 2133 MHz, and 3 year warranty. Now, I need to know, if you were looking at purchasing laptops, desktops, All-in-Ones, or a mix of both?'

'Just laptops and All-in-Ones Julian. Mostly All- in-Ones, as most of my employees work only at the workplace, and if the computers stay at the workplace, than at least I'll know exactly what happened if any of them do get damaged.'

'Of course, so we'll work our way through the All-in-One models first. We currently offer three models, with customization, of course.'

Julian spun the laptop around and handed it to Wayne. 'The entry level model, at $499, features 2gb of DDR4 memory, an ULTRA I1 50 chip, comparable to the Intel i5 4000, Ultra integrated graphics and 500gb hard drive.'

'The mid range model,' Julian continued, 'Starts at $699 and comes with 4gb of DDR4 memory, an ULTRA I2 50 chip, comparable to an Intel i5 4460, a Geforce GTX 745, with 4gb of DDR3 memory, and a 1tb hard drive.'

'And last but not least, our premium model starts at $999 and comes with 8gb or DDR4 memory, and Ultra 13 50 chip, comparable to an Intel i7 4790, a Geforce GTX 780 with 3gb of GDDR5 memory, 1tb of hard drive space and a HD Retina display.'

Mr Wayne looked up from the screen. 'Is it fine if I put in the numbers for the All-in-Ones now?'

'Of course, Wayne. If you just read out the model configuration and the number you want, I'll begin filling out the order form for you.'

Julian pulled his phone put of his pocket and opened the ULTRA app. 'Alright, could you start to read it out for me now, Wayne?'

Wayne took a deep breath and begin to talk. 'I need 4000 of the entry model,' He paused while Julian entered the information into a form, and gestured for him to continue, '2500 of the midrange model... 1000 of the high-end model, and 500 of the high-end model with a Geforce GTX 880.'

'Hefty graphic card Wayne, May I ask what it's needed for?'

'Graphic design and development.' Wayne replied. 'Some of my employees are in charge of developing new buildings and improving old ones. And my company requires them to develop real life models.'

'Good thinking Wayne. I forgot to mention earlier that, of course, all All-In-One models come with a standard mouse and keyboard, and the graphic cards have been tweaked, at no loss of performance, to fit in the all-in-ones. Was there anything else you wished to order?'

'Yes, I also need 300 Ultra HD Inspiron's, for my board and managers, and 8300 ULTRA Galaxy 3's, for all my staff.'

'Of course Wayne.' As Julian entered the rest of the information into the order, Wayne left his seat, with his wine in his hand and walked to the window, to look at the impressive views of Chicago, which were spectacular even in the night, which Julian's office offered.

'Quite beautiful Wayne, isn't it?' Julian asked, joining him at the window.

'Very Julian.' Wayne replied.

'I heard you're headquarters in New York offer amazing views as well.' Julian said, in an attempt to temporarily lead the conversation away from business.

'Yes, the views are quite...beautiful, it's just after a decade the same ol' same ol' can get rather... well, boring. And when you've got avengers tower in the middle of that flipping view...' Wayne trailed off at whatever he was going to say.

'What do you have against the Avengers? I mean, if it wasn't for them those dammed aliens would have taken over the world.' Julian was sputtering utter rubbish. He hated the avengers with a passion, in-fact his master had labelled the avengers as one of the few obstacles in the way of his gaols, so naturally Julian developed a hate of them, as his masters enemies were his own.

'I don't have anything against the Avengers; they did save my life after all.' Wayne replied.

A memory resurfaced in his mind, of the battle of New York from three years ago. He'd been in the skyscraper when the giant metal-snake flying creature, had turned, heading straight for the building he was in, watching the chaos.

He had immediately begin to shrink back, praying it would change the direction it was flying in, when he heard commotion behind him, and the 9 foot tall green monster had come running, knocking everything o in his path out of the way, (except humans) before leaping out of the window.

He had grabbed the jaw of the monster, and using his brute strength managed to drag it away from ploughing through the building, and down the street. The edge of the monstrous creature had only just scraped the side of the building.

Later, he had sent a hefty lump of cash to stark tower, asking that it was delivered to the man who was the Hulk, thanking him for saving his life.

Wayne took a deep breath before continuing.

'It's just that the tower reminds me of Tony Stark. That man makes more and more money every year, and he already earns trillions a year. He bankrupts heaps of small businesses, even big ones aren't spared. You've seen what's happened to other tech giants such as Dell and Apple, he basically owns them, in a couple years they won't even exist anymore.'

'I agree Wayne. Even my business is struggling, after we had such a promising start a decade ago. I don't like Tony Stark, I'll admit that, but I do appreciate what he's done for the world as Ironman.'

Wayne nodded, and he and Julian fell into an uncomfortable silence, each leaving one another to their own thoughts.

'The bill's ready to sign Wayne, if you're ready.' Julian said breaking the silence. He gestured toward the desk, and Wayne followed him.

'Of course the initial price was $14,533,400, but since you're buying in bulk I can knock of 10% percent of the price, so the total sum comes to $13 million dollars.' Wayne was extremely happy with the deal. He'd come into the deal prepared to pay $15 million plus, for what he had purchased.

Unknown to him, Julian was also smiling on the inside. He had made at least $3 million more on the deal then he should have. Wayne signed the form, and pulled a check book out of his back pocket. He wrote out the appropriate details, ripped off the check, and handed it to Julian.

Wayne held out his hand to shake. 'Pleasure doing businesses Julian.' Julian shook his hand firmly.

'The pleasure is all mine Wayne, unfortunately, it will be 3 weeks before we can deliver the technology, as I'm afraid we are understocked at the moment.'

Wayne nodded. 'Not a problem at all Julian.' He begin to walk across the room to the double door exit. Just before he got to the elevator, Julian called out. 'Wayne?'

Wayne turned around, and looked back. 'Is it all right if we advertise that Wayne Enterprises buys their tech at ULTRA?'

'Of course Julian.' He replied, as he opened the double office doors, slipped through, and then closed them behind him.

Julian waited for half a minute before he leapt in the air and let out a shout of joy. He rushed over to the mini bar, and took the bottle of Penfolds Ampoule, pouring himself a glass, and took a drink of the beautiful drink, which tasted like the nectar of heaven.

He put the rest of the drink back on the shelve, to be reserved for another day when he had a huge success. Little did he know that glass was the last time he'd enjoy the drink.

* * *

After several hours and many drinks later, of several various alcoholic beverages, Julian was ready to go home, after successfully striking up a multi-million dollar deal with Wayne Enterprises. Just as he made ready to get out of his plush leather chair behind his desk, he noticed the White Arowana, which he had been watching swim around his aquarium several moments ago, had disappeared.

Frowning, he pulled himself out of his chair, before sensing a presence behind him. Julian froze, then rapidly turned around, aiming a punch for the presence that was behind him. The man caught his fist, and jerked his arm towards the wall, sending Julian flying with his arm, and slamming him painfully into the wall.

Quicker then he could register the man's fist slammed into his stomach, and Julian doubled over gasping for breath, unable to breathe for a short period of time, at the power of the punch. Julian had no doubt that the wall behind him was damaged, and his back felt like it was on fire.

Suddenly the man grabbed him around the neck with one hand, and lifted him off the ground, chocking him. Julian gasped as his throat was squeezed. In between gasping for breath, he had just enough time to think that it was impossible for someone to hold him up like that, yet the man was doing it casually as if it were the easiest thing in the world. It was almost as if the mysterious figure wasn't human or fully human at least.

The man pushed him up against the wall, still holding him off the ground, and his left hand slammed a trident deep in to the wall, two pints situated on either side of his throat and the curved part of the base digging painfully into his neck, crushing his windpipe.

He chocked, gasping for breath, uselessly trying to push the trident away from his throat. Although he was quickly losing consciousness...or life, he told himself, determined to accept the fact he was going to die, one part of him prayed that this was just a dream and that he'd dozed off, sometime into the night. Except he knew, with heartfelt certainty, that this was real. And that his bloody past was coming back to bite him…hard.

Julian started to gag, and seconds later his vision turned black. Just before death claimed him, the trident withdrew from his throat, just enough for him to breathe, and he greedily sucked in as much oxygen as he could for the next couple minutes, while he slowly recovered. The entire time he didn't dare look up at the figure in front of him, who he knew was closely monitoring his every movement.

Finally, racking up enough courage, he raised his eyes to look at the man in front of him. He could see the man's hatred for him in every line of his body, and knew with heartfelt certainty that the only reason he wasn't dead already, was because the man enjoyed seeing him in pain, and wanted to torture him before he died.

The man wore a dark grey cloak, drawn back behind him, which stretched from his head to just above his feet, the hood bathing his face in shadow, so that the only part of the man's face Julian could see was light facial hair stretching from the mouth to the chin.

Julian concentrated, trying to see through the shadows of the hood, to see the man's face, but it was like staring into a bottomless crevice. All he could see was black.

The man had two swords, strapped to either side of his hip, along with several occupied sheathes for daggers/knives on either side of the sword, and a holster which contained a gun on both of his thighs. Several more guns and knives were strapped to the man along the front, (and Julian also guessed the back) of his waist.

There was a quiver full of arrows strapped over his right shoulder, and a massive long bow was resting over his left shoulder. Julian could also see the head of a rifle strapped to his back.

There were a further two knives, occupying sheathes on each shin. The man also metal vambraces on both arms, which stretched from his wrists to just below his elbows, which Julian thought were rather pointless.

The man wore combat boots, and a gray tactical combat suit, with sleeves that reached down to his wrists. Both hands wore gloves.

Julian also had no doubt the several more weapons were hidden, both inside the cloak and around the cloak, and he had no idea how many, or even what those weapons could be.

Julian's face suddenly exploded in pain, and he howled as his nose broke. His hands instantly rose to his face, covering his nose, as a stick warm liquid ran down his face. Julian whimpered in pain, and pulled his hands away to see his fingers were red, with blood dripping off them.

He hadn't even seen the man move. If he hadn't been punched in the face then he'd believe the man hadn't moved at all, as he was standing in the exact same way, and position as he had been before he'd punched him.

Julian groaned as his nose begin to throb painfully, and the man snorted in disgust. Julian's hands were itching to push the trident out of the wall, and dive to his desk, grab his gun, and shoot the bitch that stood in front of him, but he knew he'd never succeed an attempt to escape his position.

The man was watching him like a hawk, analysing his every movement, every microscopic movement his face made, and he knew he was enjoying watching him in pain.

Julian's arms and legs were free, to allow him to punch or kick the man, nut he sensed any attempt to do so, would end up with him sporting a broken arm or knee.

The man slowly reached to his side, and painstakingly slowly withdrew a long knife, before tossing it up in the air, and catching it. He repeated the movement several more times, never looking at what he was doing.

'Just do it already.' Julian said, wanting the whole ordeal to end.

'No.' The man replied. He said just one word, and Julian cringed at the authority and anger behind the voice. The guy had the deepest and strongest voice Julian had ever heard.

The man placed the knife tip on Julian's shoulder, and slowly pushed the knife in. Julian bit his tongue to prevent himself from screaming from the pain, as the cool metal pushed through muscles, entering places it never should have. He refused to cry out, refused to give the man the satisfaction he wanted.

Then the man started to twist the knife, slowly, and it was the most agonizing thing Julian had ever felt. He felt like he was biting his tongue off in the effort not to scream, and he couldn't keep his silent scream silent anymore. He opened his mouth and let loose a gut wrenching scream.

The man continued to twist the knife for what felt like hours, (even though it was only a couple minutes) as Julian screamed himself hoarse. Julian tried to lash out at his torturer, and kick him in the gut, but the man blocked his kick, and punched him in the gut. Hard.

Julian's vision turned temporarily black, and he struggled to draw in oxygen. The man grabbed his left wrist, and begin to twist. Julian cried out in pain, and screamed for him to stop, but the man kept twisting until his wrist let out sickening cracking sound.

Julian howled in pain as his wrist broke, and it hung limply at his side. Tears came to his eyes, and he begin to cry.

'Pathetic.' The man said. 'You can harm other people, but when you're harmed...it's a joke. I've seen 6 year old kids that are stronger than you.'

'Please...' Julian begged. 'Stop...have mercy...please.'

'Mercy?' The man screamed. 'Mercy? I'll show you the same mercy you showed her, you son of a bitch. A painful death!'

'A-'

'DON'T!' He shrieked, his face millimetres away from Julian's. 'DON'T YOU DARE SAY HER NAME! YOU'RE NOT WORTHY TO SAY IT!' The man stepped back, taking several deep calming breaths, before reaching into his cloak.

He pulled out a metal rod. Julian whimpered, sure the man was going to give him a savage beating. The man rose the small metal rod above his head, and Julian tensed for the inevitable pain that was sure to follow.

'No...please,' Julian started to beg. 'Stop, I'll do-'Julian was abruptly cut off as metal rod begin to cackle with electricity, and was slammed into his chest. Julian screamed as the electricity flowed through his body, it felt like lightning was eating him alive. He screamed louder as the electricity continued to flow through his body, electrocuting him.

The man with drew the taser rod from his chest, the weapon still cackling with electricity. But Julian couldn't care less. He greedily breathed in shallow, rapid breaths of oxygen, trying to recover.

Julian screamed as the taser rod reconnected with his body, this time remaining connected to him only for a few seconds, before it was withdrawn. Julian had barely sucked in one breath of oxygen, before the taser reconnected with him again, and again, and again.

Sometimes it was only for a second, other times it was for far longer, but it was pure agony. It was all he could do just to breathe, and he silently prayed that the comforting arms of unconsciousness would claim him, so he could escape from the pain, if only temporarily.

He was sure that he should be knocked unconscious by now, but then he realized it was modified for torture, not rendering people unconscious.

Finally the man stopped, and he withdrew, giving Julian several minutes to recover. Julian's whole body was in pain, and he allowed it to go limp. The trident withdrew from around his neck, and Julian collapsed onto the floor. The man slung the trident across his back.

He was in too much pain to even think about moving, much less trying to escape, or going for the gun on his desk. He lay on the plush soft carpet, whimpering in pain, as he eye-sight swum in and out of focus.

Suddenly, the doors to his office were pushed open. Julian was in so much pain he could barely raise his head. All he could see was white high heels, and the beginning of two slender legs.

'Julian?' The woman called. 'Are you here?' Julian groaned and her head searched the room before finding him lying on the floor.

'Oh my god!' She screeched, rushing towards him. The cloaked man appeared behind her, and Julian tried to warn her, but the best he could manage was a soft groan. How the hell had he even got there? Julian didn't even see him move.

One of his hands clamped over her mouth, cutting off her silent scream, while the other snaked around her stomach, pulling her close to him. Julian could barely see the beautiful brown eyes of his wife, Alisha, light up in fear.

She tried to break out of his grip but he was much too strong. He whipped her around so she was facing him, then pushed her to the ground, so she was lying on her back with him straddling her, one knee on either side of her waist, while one hand covered her mouth.

Alisha was smart, and as she looked up at the man who was straddling her with one hand covering her mouth, a very soft, smooth hand, (what the hell? Where did that come from she thought) she knew trying to scream or attempt to escape would not be good for her.

So she'd allowed him to push her to the floor, and straddle her.

'I'm going to remove my hand, and you're going to stay quite.' The man said quietly, so she could only barely hear him. The man had the deepest voice she'd ever heard.

'There's no point screaming, and even if you did, no one would hear you. Do you understand?' She nodded slightly, lifting her head off the floor, and the man slowly removed his hand from her mouth.

Then he bent over and kissed her. It was the best thing she'd ever felt. His lips were unbelievably soft and warm. The kiss was so heavenly it took all her willpower to resist pulling him as close to her as she could, and returning the kiss. After twenty seconds the man stopped the kiss and pulled apart. She immediately gasped for air.

'How...how...d...dare...y...you...t...try and k...k...kiss..my...wife' Julian gasped, and Alisha turned her head to the side, and saw for the first time just how hurt Julian really was.

His nose broken, his face covered in dry blood. He had a bleeding wound on his right shoulder and his left wrist hung limply at his side, broken, Alisha realised. His shirt and tie were covered with little burn holes, exposing the skin of his slightly chubby figure underneath. Alisha realized he'd been electrocuted quite extensively.

The man grabbed the side of her head and pulled it back so she was looking at him. She couldn't see through his hood, but she knew his eyes were locked intently with hers. She looked away, unable to bear the intensity of the gaze she knew that was locked on her eyes.

'Alisha, look at me.' The man spoke.

Alisha looked up, into the blackness of the hood where the man's face should have been. His hand pushed a USB into hers, and her fingers involuntary closed around it.

'I promise I'm not going to kill you, but...you need to do something for me.'

'Why, why are you doing this to him?' Alisha asked. She regretted asking the question as soon as she spoke. The man clenched his fist and his entire body was outlined with anger. The air around him hissed with danger.

'Because that man.' Alisha turned her head to look at him. Julian groaned in pain as he managed to roll over onto his stomach.

'Took my love from me, just so he could get some freaking cash. Besides, why do you care about him? I can tell just by looking at the relationship between the two of you that he abuses you, does he not?' The man ended the sentence, barely speaking in a whisper.

'Yes.' Alisha replied. Then instantly moved her hand to cover her mouth.

'Bitch.' Julian groaned. The man sent him a look of absolute hatred, before turning his attention back to her.

'I'm not going to lie to Alisha, I'm going to kill him.' Alisha grimaced. As abusive as Julian was, and she had no idea how this man knew about it, he still shouldn't be subjected to this. He definitely deserved to die. She'd always wondered where he had got the couple million dollars from, and now she knew. Because she killed this man's love, and now the man wanted revenge.

She just didn't know why he had taken so long to actually orchestrate that revenge. The man was young, she could tell. She'd put him around mid to late twenties. Then she realized, this guy had only been a teenager when Julian had killed the love of his life, and suddenly, part of her wanted him to die, even if the rest of her hated it.

'You deserve better than this slut. And, as a thanks for co-operating with me, you just had a healthy slab of money transferred to your account to...kick-start you're new life.'

'I...thank you.' Alisha said. As much as she hated the fact he was going to kill Julian, she knew being on this man's bad side was not a place anyone would want to be.

'You're going to go to Julian's computer.' She noticed how he said Julian's name with absolute hatred. 'You're going to plug the USB in, and a program will start running. It should find a ghost drive. I want you to copy the ghost drive and give the USB back to me. Understood?'

Alisha nodded. The man got up, and Alisha slowly got up behind him. He carelessly trod on Julian's fingers as he walked past him. Julian yelped in pain and instantly went to clutch his hand with his broken hand, before screaming. The man walked to the desk in front of her, opened a draw and withdrew a gun, chucking it to the other side of the room.

She hesitated as she walked past Julian, but quickly moved forward as

Alisha slowly walked around the desk and inserted the USB into a slot that was built into the desk. The man stood behind her watching her every move and she had to resist the urge to look back at him. Yet, she didn't, because deep down in her heart, she knew he was telling the truth.

He may have had a personal vendetta against Julian, but it didn't extend to her. And for that, she was very thankful.

The computer monitor flickered on and a login paged appeared. A black box appeared in the middle of the screen, with code running down the screen faster than Alisha's eyes could follow. Suddenly the code disappeared, and the username and password boxes populated themselves.

The display changed and a page showed up displaying a list of different hard-drives. Alisha scrolled slowly scrolled down, until she came to a faded words saying "Ghost Drive-Ultra". She clicked on the drive and a heap of files appeared on the screen. She clicked on the drive and dragged the drive over to the USB drive.

A small message popped up saying, "Copying 50GB, 2 minutes remaining." Alisha turned around to look at the man.

'How can it copy the data so fast? It's like it's a super computer or something.'

'That's because it is.' The man replied. 'It's several hundred years ahead of its time.' Alisha gasped in shock. The man didn't sound like he was kidding. She thought for a second and came to one possible conclusion.

'Alien?' she asked.

'In a way.' The man replied. Alisha sat in silence for the next minute, wondering what the man was going to do with her. She hoped he wasn't going to make her watch as he tortured and killed Julian.

Just before the computer finished copying the files, she saw a file named 'VISION' She withdrew the USB, turned around, stood up, and handed it to the man. 'What now?' She asked.

The man withdrew a gun from his side, and Alisha scrambled back in shock, and fell back into the plush red office chair. 'You..you sai...said you wouldn't k...kill m...me.' She stuttered.

Every part of her instincts had been telling her this man wouldn't hurt her, yet here he was, ready to do the exact thing she thought he wouldn't...kill her.

The man held up his arms to calm her down. Alisha took several deep breaths to calm herself down.

'I'm not going to kill, or harm you.' He said. 'I don't want you to watch what I'm about to do.' Alisha looked at the gun. It looked exactly like a standard pistol. Except for the thin, horizontal glowing blue line that was situated on either side of the barrel.

'This is called an I.C.E.R. It releases a Dendrotoxin, which will put you to sleep for a couple hours. It will...alter your memory of the past hour to. You'll remember everything that happened...except me. 'You'll forget what I look like, and everything else about me.'

Alisha nodded. 'You won't feel any pain, and as soon as the specialized bullet hits you, you'll fall unconscious.'

'I'm ready. She said. The main raised the gun and pressed the trigger, and suddenly everything went black. The man dropped the gun, and leapt forward to catch her falling body, before gently lowering her to the ground. He picked up the gun, and returned it to its sheathe, before turning his attention to a groaning almost unconscious Julian.

He walked over and knelt beside the groaning man. 'I wanted you to experience a painful death, Julian. So I decided what better way to do that then to have you die, than JUST...LIKE...HER!'

Julian's eyes suddenly lit up with fear. 'No...please,' he whispered, 'don't-'

He was cut off by a loud bang. He gasped in pain, and whimpered, in too much pain to scream. He violently coughed and spat up blood on the floor next to him, as he clutched at the bullet wound in his stomach. All he could see was red.

'It hurts Julian, doesn't it. Maybe now, you'll experience some humanity in the pitiful minute you have left to live.' He ran the barrel of the gun down the side of Julian's face. Julian tried to spit blood into his face, but the best he could manage was a dribble out of the corner of his mouth.

The man removed the gun, sheathed it and stood up. Suddenly, his foot swept towards Julian in a blur of motion, and Julian was sent flying backwards as his steel capped combat boots connected with his balls.

He screamed in pain, with tears forming in the corner of his eyes from the pain. He tried to sit up and clutch at his balls, but screamed in pain again and fell backwards as the bullet in his stomach was jolted, by the movement.

The edges of his vision begin to black, the rest of it red from pain. Just before death claimed him, he saw the cloaked man shoot the window before leaping out of it and disappearing from sight.

**Wow! Please review, favourite, follow and so on, as it'll encourage me to write more often and update faster. **

**I also encourage you to answer the following questions in a review or pm.**

**What heroes do you want to see join the avengers?**

**What villains do you want to see in the story?**

**Do you prefer to wait longer for long chapters, or less for shorter chapters?**

**Also, I'd like suggestions on songs that are either: Very sad, or relate to someone lost in grief due to the loss of a loved one, so they can be implemented into the story. **

**Also this story MAY start slightly more focused on the Greek/Roman Mythology side of the world, (HOO) but will be mainly based on the MCU by the middle to the end of the story.**

**Also, did you find the hidden Easter eggs throughout the chapter? Comment in the reviews if you found them, and say what you think they are.**

**Also, check out my profile page, where I will try to post updates every couple days, on the progress on how the next chapter is going.**


	2. Smoke Bomb

July 6th, 2015 6.36am (UTC-06.00)

'Breaking news this morning, Julian Corates, head of the technology company, ULTRA, was found dead last night in his office. We cross live now to Kate for more details.'

'Thank-you Peter.' Kate, a perky blond woman replied, who was currently standing outside the front of ULTRA Headquarters. The screen split in two, showing the newsroom on one side, and Kate at ULTRA headquarters on the other side.

'While we haven't been able to get many details from the local authorities, what we do know is Julian Corates was tortured to death. The information, as far as I've been made aware of is that he was punched several times, electrocuted, stabbed and shot. He ended up bleeding to death. There are also several reports that his body was found with several choke wounds on the neck.'

Kate paused momentarily, before continuing.

'Julian Corates wife, Alisha Corates was found traumatized, leaning over Julian's Body, earlier this morning. She refused to leave, and is currently being treated, and held for questioning. What she has told us, was how he was tortured, as I mentioned earlier, and she is unable to recall anything about how the attacker at all.'

'Kate, for our viewers at home, how exactly did this assassin manage such a feat without leaving a single trace of evidence?'

'Well Peter, the security guards were found asleep last night, after being drugged, and have all immediately been fired from the company. All surveillance equipment was hacked, and all footage was looped, leaving no visual or audio what-so-ever on what happened. The most interesting part, is that the assassin has appeared to leave the tower through the window of the eightieth floor. It has been suggested that he jumped through the window and left on the recently stolen military Quinjet, which suggests he was the prominent member of the party who stole the Quinjet from military custody several months. Brigadier General Talbot has so far been unavailable to comment.'

'Thankyou Kate, for updating us on the situation. We'll cross over to you again in a little while for more details.' Kate nodded, before the screen changed back to the newsroom only.

'Coming up after the break, we take a look at Beyonce's hit new album, "Move", we explore the mystery of New York's new web slinging hero Spiderman, and we interview New York's new super lawyer, Matt Murdoch, who claims it's his mission to help others, despite the fact he was blinded since childhood.'

'Bloody Hell.' Lance hunter said, as Coulson shut down the holographic TV being projected by the toolbox, located on his desk.

'So you need us to go and investigate.' Clint Barton stated. He and Natasha Romanoff had been on base for several days, helping to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D.

'Problem is, we can't just walk in there as S.H.I.E.L.D agents.' Natasha said, combing her recently died black hair, which fell just past her shoulders.

Coulson nodded, and picked up several lanyards off the desk. 'Which is why, we're going disguised as the CIA. Tatiana Sokolava,' Coulson said, handing a lanyard to Romanoff, who stopped combing her hair to put the lanyard on. 'Legalos Francis.' He said handing another lanyard to Barton.

'Seriously Coulson? Legalos? And making my middle name my last name?'

Coulson ignored Barton's protest, while Romanoff smirked evilly. Clint looked at her and raised an eyebrow. _Seriously? _He seemed to ask. Romanoff smiled innocently, like she hadn't done anything. In response Clint rolled his eyes.

'If you two are done flirting,' Coulson interrupted, causing Clint to gag, 'then could you please take this lanyard to agent Triplet and ask him to have the bus ready to leave in twenty minutes.'

Both of the assassins nodded, and left Coulson's office. Coulson buried his head in his hands and sighed. 'The shit those two use to get into before the Avengers incident.' Coulson shook his head, and looked up.

'So those two are in a relationship?' Hunter asked.

'I thought so to for a long time,' Coulson replied. 'They were practically joined at the hip after Barton brought her in from the KGB, couldn't separate the two of them even if we tried. Nasty rumours were going around S.H.I.E.L.D for months on colourful images of how Romanoff convinced Barton not to kill her.'

'So basically, everyone thought she fucked him, and then he brought her in, so she could keep fucking him?' Hunter asked. Coulson winced, and Bobby slapped lance in the face.' What the hell was that for?' He asked.

'You know what.' She replied, and shrugged her shoulders innocently.

'Essentially, yes,' Coulson said 'and please don't use that language around me, Lucas Gray.' He said handing a lanyard with an ID card on it to hunter, who gagged when he heard his undercover name.

'Anyway it became obvious after a while they did love each other, but-' Coulson said quickly, seeing the triumphant smirk on Hunters face, 'we soon realized, and they both admitted that it was only a brother-sister love, even if all the evidence pointed against it.'

'Yeah, whatever Coulson. What's my ex-wife's name?' Coulson smirked, and Lance instantly knew what her name was, or at least part of it.

'Katie Gray, can you take your lanyard please?' Coulson asked sweetly. Lance face palmed, as his ex-wife picked up her lanyard. 'Courtney Calvary.' Coulson said, chucking a lanyard to May, who had been sitting silently in the shadows the entire time. She groaned, as she put the Lanyard on.

'Who the hell are you?' Lance asked. 'Clark Kent.' Coulson replied.

'Really? You named yourself after Superman? As if that's a real name. And why do you get the good name?'

'I'm the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.' He replied simply. 'It comes with special privileges.' Now get your ass to the bus, we leave in 10.'

'What about this Spiderman?' Lance asked. 'Doesn't he have like superpowers or something? Aren't we supposed to bring guys like this in?'

Coulson rolled his eyes. 'Hunter, he operates in New York. Avengers home turf. I'm sure they've already questioned him, and possibly invited him to the team. You know they're making some big announcement on the 10th, along with the launch of some mega project. And you have 8 minutes now to get your ass to the bus.'

Hunter sighed, before turning around and slamming the door behind him.

'Really Phil, Courtney Calvary?' May asked.

'It suits you.' He shrugged. Turning around to his desk, he turned the toolbox off, which was displaying the holographic images. The small computer sunk back down below the desk, and a panel on the top of the desk closed over it.

'Come on Calvary, let's go.' It took almost all of Coulson's will power to stop the grin from appearing on his face, after he said those words.

'Phil, I am this close,' May said, holding two fingers so close together so close, ever a hair would have had trouble fitting through, 'from hanging you upside down from your feet, and using you as a punching bag.'

'Didn't you do that to a junior agent years ago?'

May snorted. 'Clint Barton was an arrogant prick who needed his ego brought down and his head kicked in. And I'd gladly do it again, if Romanoff wasn't so damn protective of him all the time.'

'It definitely taught him to stay away from the Calvary.'

May almost growled in response. 'Funny, considering he's the one who came up with that nickname, and spread the rumours.'

'And then you gladly showed him what the floor tasted like, in front of the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.'

May shrugged. 'He was asking for it. Besides, I needed Romanoff to distract him. After she started training him, I never stood a chance of beating him in a fight.'

Coulson was smiling. 'Perhaps after we sort out all the crap with Julian Corates, you could get Romanoff to help you prank him, she's always up for that.'

May almost smirked in response.

'C'mon, we need to go in 5 minutes.' May nodded, and opened the door for Coulson, who was readjusting his tie as he walked through the doorway.

Hunter and Trip were waiting for Phil and May on the ramp of the bus, as they entered the aircraft hangar. Both were wearing suits with black tinted sun glasses on, and stood unmoving, awaiting orders, the image of a perfect CIA agent.

As Coulson and May begin to walk up the ramp, Hunter spoke. 'Cadet, you are two seconds late. You're job is at serious risk of being lost, and you will be reprimanded. Time is money agent, as I'm sure I've told you before.'

Coulson slowed to a halt, as Trip stood unmoving, a faint smile ghosting his face.

'Shut up and get in the bus Hunter or your pay will be at serious risk of not reaching your possession.'

'Yes sir!' Hunter said, saluting smartly and turning around to march up the ramp into the plane, raising his knees highly for added affect, like he was in an army demonstration march.

'Hunter!' Coulson warned. Hunter stopped marching, and proceeded to walk as a normal person, though Coulson guessed he was hiding his face so he couldn't see the grin plastered all over it. He had learnt long ago that one of Hunter's hobbies was annoying everyone, especially him.

'May, after we take off can you put the bus on autopilot?' Coulson asked. 'I need to brief everyone on how the mission's going to roll.'

May nodded, and headed towards the cockpit at the front of the plane.

* * *

**Natasha POV:**

'Barton, Romanoff, you're going in one car. Trip, Morse, Hunter, May-you're coming with me in the other.' Coulson stated, as he begin to lay out the mission plan.

Hunter groaned. Natasha sighed internally, Hunter was an over-dramatic idiot who loved attention and had a sense of humour, the perfect image of the type of people Romanoff hated, although Clint had almost the same personality, with a way bigger ego, and she'd managed to put up with him for over a decade, so Hunter shouldn't be a problem to handle.

'Is there a problem Hunter?' Coulson asked.

Hunter snorted. 'No. Why the bloody hell would you think that.' Coulson sighed, obviously sick of Hunters endless complaining when ever anything happened involving him and his ex-wife. Natasha knew the main reason he did it was to annoy his ex-wife Bobbi.

'Hunter?' Clint asked. Natasha smirked. Clint had come up with the perfect plan this morning to annoy Hunter, and he was finally going to put in action.

'Yeah?' He answered hesitantly.

'Morse and I need to tell you...' He paused shifting over to her, putting an arm around her waist. 'We're in a relationship.'

'WHAT!' Hunter shrieked, and froze in shock. As soon as he recovered, he marched towards Barton, muttering threats of the vicious ways he was going to kill him.

He stopped short, in puzzlement as myself, Morse and Barton burst into laughter. Barton actually fell to the floor, rolling around trying desperately to contain his laughter, an act that only left him laughing all the harder.

'What the hell? What's so funny...Barton this isn't funny!' Hunter yelled. 'That's my ex-wife you idiot.'

'You're right...it isn't...funny...it's...hilarious.' Barton wheezed, unable to control the laughter.

Some of the other agents had joined in the laughter, while others tried to hold back barely contained smiles, including May. Of course, in reality Natasha was not amused. Nearly no one knew her true personality, she constantly switched from one personality to the next, remaining unreadable. Only half a dozen people actually knew her as her true self.

'Barton, get off the ground now. You're an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, not some 3 year old in kinder.' Coulson said.

'Ohhhhh, burn!' I said, using American slang to annoy him, because of the fact that he had tried to teach me it for years, and i just ignored him.

Clint, who had been in the process of sitting up nearly choked, and fell back to the ground.

'Did you just...just use American slang?' Clint asked, in shock.

'No honey, I used Russian slang. And close your mouth, you look like a gaping fish.'

Clint hastily closed his mouth and took Trip's hand, who pulled him to his feet. He shook his head sadly. 'Twelve years Natasha, twelve years I tried to teach you American slang, and you never used it. I always thought you'd never listened but now,' he shook his head sadly; 'you're just evil Romanoff, pure evil.' I merely smirked in response.

'If you guys are done, could we get back to the mission briefing?' Coulson asked.

'Bloody bastard.' Hunter muttered, still pissed at the joke. Clint pretended not to hear him.

'We're done.' Clint said to Coulson.

'Are you sure, Barton?'

'Positive Coulson and thank you for not putting me in the same car as the _Calvary._' He said, laying stress on the last word. He was I trouble now, and there was no way i was going to save him from May's wrath. Knowing him, he was about to take it one step to far.

'Do you wish to discover what my foot tastes like Barton?' May asked, anger lacing every word she said.

Clint raised an eyebrow. 'I'm not particularly interested in jumping into bed with you, but since you asked so nicely...' I sighed internally. He just had to say a witty remark.

'Oomph.' Clint groaned, when May drove a fist into his stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs, before she quickly knocked the his feet out from under him, and sent him tumbling awkwardly to the ground. 'So...worth...it.' he groaned.

Clint continued to groan, breathing heavily, as he attempted to pick himself up from the ground, while the rest of the agents burst into laughter, but stopped abruptly when May gave them an _I'm not amused_ look.

Coulson proceeded to ignore the groaning archer lying on the floor and continued with the mission briefing. Barton had asked for it, and hell had he copped it.

'Romanoff, you're in charge of the mission. The rest of you follow her lead. Romanoff, you need to act like you don't take the time of day from anyone. Got it?'

'Yes sir.' I replied, as Clint finally recovered his breath and managed to get to his feet. He hastily retreated several steps, grimacing as May sent a menacing glare his way.

'Skye, Fitz, Simmons, Mac you guys are going to wait on the bus outside Chicago. Skye, we need your help to remotely hack the systems.' I'd only just met Skye, and she was one of the best hackers I'd met. Not as good as some, but definitely up there.

Skye nodded. 'All of us going in will search the office for any clues relating to Julian Corates's death, and this mystery man. He may be a gifted, and under Hydra's control, so make sure you are equipped to take him down. Everyone heading in needs to wear suits and dark shades as discussed earlier to impersonate the C.I.A, and for god's sake, don't forget your lanyards.'

The team nodded, as Coulson disappeared up the stairs, heading for his office.

My phone beeped, and I immediately retreated to one of the bunks on the side of the bus, knowing exactly who had sent the message.

Команда идет? (Team coming?) The message said, in, Russian. Although she knew her phone was unhackable, even by someone as good as Skye, she couldn't risk anyone seeing the messages over her shoulder, even if they didn't know Russian.

Как будто вы не знаете,. Вы, наверное, видели все это. (As if you don't know. You probably saw the whole thing.) I replied.

Очень забавно. Отправить Бартон мои пожелания. Я надеюсь, что вы готовы идти до конца в засаде тогда? (Very amusing. Send Barton my regards. I trust you are prepared to go through with the ambush then?)

Да. Уровень 3. (Yes. Level 3.)

Увидимся, Наталья. (See you then, Natalia.)

I sighed and put the phone back in my pocket, just as Clint entered the small room. 'What did the boss want?'He asked.

'Reassurance.' I replied. 'He was checking if the team were ready for the planned ambush later.'

'And are they?' I rolled her eyes.

'Evil Russian beast.' Clint muttered, with a trace of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

'Get out, Clint. I need to change for the mission. I forgot how annoying he was. After spending two of the last three years on missions with Rodgers, and the other year after S.H.I.E.L.D's downfall in hiding and training, I had only just remembered how annoying Clint actually was, when he wanted to be.

Clint shrugged, and opened the door to step out of the room. 'Whatever you say Natasha.' He replied, and closed the door behind him as he left.

* * *

July 6th 2015, 9.38am (UTC-06.00)

**Inspector Rajif POV:**

Inspector Rajif frowned as he relived the new junior of his watch outside the building. He took a long sip of coffee from the steaming cup in his hand and let out a contented sigh, trying to forget the events of the night. His, and several other units had been here since three in the morning, searching for any clues on the murder of Julian Corates.

He took another gulp of the hot steaming liquid. Nothing about this case seemed to make any sense. Whoever had orchestrated the murder was good, that was for sure. While there was ample evidence the assassin had been there, there was no evidence of the assassin himself left behind, not even part of a finger print.

The only clue they had to what could have happened was Julian's Wife, Alisha Corates who appeared to have experienced some kind of memory loss. She had been able to recall everything that happened down to every detail, but had no memory of what the assassin looked like or even worn.

He'd taken a blood sample and sent it to the labs back at headquarters, suspecting the assassin had injected some kind of drug into her system altering her memories which had wiped anything linked to himself.

He had released a brief, toned down version of what had happened to various news crews earlier in the morning, not yet wanting the American public to know how brutal the murder actually was. He still shivered after seeing the dead body on the ground, surrounded in a pool of blood. He'd never been able to hold his stomach well in the past, and he'd been barely able to stop himself from puking.

He'd worked lots of cases where murder was involved, but this was one of the worst he'd seen.

Unfortunately his squad had been unable to do much on the crime scene, as they had immediately revived messages from the CIA and FBI telling them to leave the crime scene as they had found it, and they would come later in the day to investigate.

Rajif frowned as two Black SUV's came around the corner, and sped towards the building, before turning and coming to a screeching halt outside the front of the building.

7 men and women, all dressed in black suits, and wearing dark shades stepped out of the car. Rajif stumbled backwards and put the half empty cup of coffee on the wall beside him, as he realised this was the CIA. These people meant business, and he couldn't afford to stuff up in-front of them.

Two men stayed behind, leaning against the SUV's behind them, while the other 5 formed a V formation and walked up the steps towards him.

The woman at the lead of the party radiated beauty and danger, her straight black hair falling just below her shoulders on either side of her head. Rajif knew instantly this woman would take no nonsense, and several other officers on guard duty fell in beside him.

'Are you the officer in charge?' The woman asked.

Rajif nodded so fast he was afraid his head would fall off. 'Yes.' He replied. 'Follow me.' He said, then spun around, walking inside the building.

'I trust you have identity...warranty?' He asked, even though the CIA agents clearly had lanyards displayed on the front of their suits. The air of danger around the CIA agents instantly increased tenfold, and Rajif wished he hadn't asked that question. He should have just taken them straight up to the crime scene, like his gut instincts had been telling him to.

The agents paused, and the woman at the lead walked toward him, leaning much to close into his personal space. He nervously took a step back.

'My face...is my warrant.' She replied. Rajif swallowed nervously 'Of...of course,' he paused reading the name on her lanyard, 'Ms Sokolava, please follow me...ma'am.'

The woman, who had brushed past him and started heading towards the elevator, spun around and turned to face him. So far the other agents hadn't said a single word, and had remained stony faced the entire time, making them look almost like statues.

'Don't...call me ma'am.' She replied. 'Do I look like a ma'am to you?' She asked threateningly, almost asking him to say yes. Rajif wisely didn't.

'No...ma'am. He stuttered and immediately wanted to face palm. He hurriedly attempted to rectify his mistake.

'I mean...yes ma'am, I mean no, you don't look like a...ma'am.' He felt like bashing his head against a brick wall. All he'd done was worsen the situation, embarrassing himself and his fellow cops in front the of the government organization.

The woman made a disgusted noise, and spun around resuming her walk towards the elevator. The other agents quickly fell into formation behind her, and he hurriedly followed them, ducking into the elevator behind them.

'Floor?' The woman asked him.

'Thirty-seven.' He replied, the woman pressed the button for the floor, and took her place at the front of the V formation, folding her arms over her chest.

Rajif waited patiently as the elevator begin rising floors, while the old disco song 'Stayin' alive' played in the background. Whoever was in charge of keeping the elevators running at his place seriously needed to put some better tunes in.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, he quickly exited the elevator with the CIA agents following behind him. The agents followed him up the hall, and into the office through the double doors. He heard on of the CIA agents whistle in amazement, the first reaction he'd seen out of any of them but the leader.

The police currently in the room all looked up and paused from their work, as the newcomers entered the room.

The woman in charge of the CIA pulled put her phone and looked at the display.

'We will give you one hour of time today, which should be more than sufficient for us to gather evidence. Ask all your officers to leave.'

'Are you sure?' Rajif asked, confused at the strange request.

The woman stepped forward. 'Did you just question an order from a Federal Officer?' She asked.

Rajif took a nervous step backwards. 'No Ms Sokolava. Officers!' He said, raising his voice. 'The CIA has arrived to investigate and we've been ordered to leave the crime scene for them to investigate alone. You are relived from your stations effect of immediately. Alisha Corates will remain with the CIA for questioning.'

The officers begin to pack up what they were doing, and filed past the CIA agents and headed out the doors. 'If you guys uh...need anything we'll be downstairs. 'We'll come back up in an hour.'

The woman nodded. 'Of course. Thanks inspector, you are dismissed.'

Rajif nodded, before stepping out of the office with the rest of the police, and the doors closed behind him.

* * *

**Morse POV:**

'Man,' Clint said. 'Did you see that officers face? You were all like "My face...is my warrant." He said, doing a very good imitation of Natasha's voice. 'And he looked dumbstruck. You sounded just like that guy from transformers.'

Natasha raised an eyebrow. 'You watch transformers?' She asked mockingly.

'What, NO!' Barton replied, looking shocked, while hunter snickered. A small smile touched my face. 'I do not watch Bayformers. That's for kids.'

'Bayformers.' Hunter said grinning. 'Haven't heard that one before. Was this the latest transformers that you watched? He asked.

'No.' Barton replied instantly, the evidence contradicting what he had said was written all over his face.

'And to think I once though the mighty Hawkeye was cool.' Hunter, replied shaking his head and smirking.

He turned to Romanoff. 'Is he always such a child?' He asked her.

Romanoff snorted. 'You haven't seen the worst of it. Normally he acts like a screaming toddler.'

'Hey, that's uncalled for Nat. I do not act like a toddler!' he proclaimed, looking flustered.

'Whipped.' Hunter said, with a grin plastered all over his face.

'Let's get back on track here guys.' May said, and Natasha nodded.

'Clint, you're with me. We're checking the body. Morse, you'll question Alisha.' I nodded. 'May, check the computers and send a copy of the security footage to Skye. Hunter, search the place for clues.' The agents nodded, and all headed off to complete their allocated roles, while I slowly approached Alisha. She was emotionally distraught, so she most likely wouldn't take kindly to sudden movements, and I needed her to be as co-operative as possible.

'Man!' Clint said. 'This place is loaded. And is that an aquarium?' He asked, as if just realizing for the first time how much expensive the office actually was.

'Yes Barton that is an aquarium.' Romanoff said, speaking slowly in a baby voice, as if he were incapable of understanding normal speech.

Barton shook his head in frustration. I knew Romanoff wasn't displaying her real personality though. She never did. Even I could never figure out how she felt, or her real personality. One moment she went from cold hearted, unresponsive, ice queen, and the next she seemed to not have a care in the world.

Hunter still believed Romanoff and Barton were in a sexual relationship. But i knew they weren't. If there was one thing i could read from Romanoff, it was that the chemistry between them was a brother-sister type of bond, formed only by shared danger and several near-death experiences.

Barton was following Romanoff over to the Body of Julian Corates, which she had already begun inspecting, and glanced over at Morse on the way, who flashed him a reassuring smile, while approaching Alisha with hand up to show she meant no harm.

The woman was sitting huddled up on the couch, with her knees pulled up and her chin resting on them. She was barefoot and wrapped in blankets, and Morse could see tear stains on her face.

'Alisha Corates?' She asked. The woman nodded slowly. 'My names Katie Gray, and I work with the CIA, is it ok if I ask you a few questions?' Alisha nodded again, slowly, although her bottom lip trembled.

'Ok.' Morse said, pulling a phone out and opening a recording app. 'I'm going to record everything you say so we can have a record of this conversation.' Morse slid her finger across the screen to activate the recording. 'Now, can you please tell me as much as you remember of what happened.' Morse spoke kindly, in a soft voice, in an attempt to try and reassure Alisha, and it seemed to work.

'Julian was holding a meeting with Wayne Dare last night, and I came in to the tower...sev...several hours after the deal was supposed to start. I was checking in, before we were going to head home together.'

Alisha took a shaky breath, and a tear leaked out of the corner of her eye. Morse gently handed her a tissue, and Alisha nodded her thanks, before wiping at the corner of her eye.

Just from that small snippet of conversation she could tell Alisha would quickly get over the death of her husband. Her voice, while sad also sounded slightly disgusted, meaning she most likely had an abusive relationship with Julian, and Morse guessed she'd probably have divorced him, if it hadn't meant leaving the riches behind.

'After I..I entered the...the of...office,' Alisha's voice started shaking and tears begin to fall rapidly from her eyes. Morse patiently waited for her to recover. 'I saw him lying there, bloody and beaten. As soon as I started to move towards him...the assassin appeared behind me and instantly restrained me.'

'Do you remember anything about him? Anything at all?' Alisha shook her head.

'Nothing, except for the fact that he had deepest voice I've ever heard.' Morse frowned. That was weird, perhaps the assassin had drugged her. She didn't press the issue. 'He seemed to...to read me. He just looked at me, and I sensed he was reading my entire life story. He knew Julian was well...not the greatest husband.'

Morse smiled internally. She'd been right about the abusive relationship.

'Can you tell me what happened after that?'

Alisha nodded. 'He gave me the U.S.B and made me copy a...Ghost drive from the main computer...I didn't even know it was on there.'

'So the Ghost drive may still be on the computer?' Morse asked. They needed to copy the drive if possible. It sounded like Julian Corates had definitely been up to something he shouldn't have been. The best case scenario was probably dealing under the table, or overcharging. Worst? She didn't know.

Alisha's next words shattered her hopes. 'No. The U.S.B was like a...mini super computer. The Ghost Drive was 50GB big, took about two minutes for the thing to copy the files, after hacking the computer by itself. It then deleted all traces of the Ghost drive from the computer. I checked. I'm afraid you won't find...anything.'

Morse nodded. 'What happened after that?' She asked.

'I...I gave the U.S.B back to him, then he withdrew a gun. Said it would put me to sleep, and that's the last thing I remember. After that...well he killed Julian, obviously.' She said, pointing towards the body.

Morse nodded, and stopped the recording. 'Thanks for your time.' She told Alisha, who nodded and Morse retreated, heading towards May who was currently searching the main computer on the desk.

'What did Alisha say?' May asked.

I shrugged. 'Not much we didn't already know. Although she did say that the assassin made her copy a ghost drive from the computer for him.'

'Skye?' May asked.

'The Guy's good.' She said. 'I already checked the computer. There's no trace that there was a ghost drive on there.'

'Is there any security recordings on the incident?' She asked.

'No.' Skye replied. 'The guy hacked into the camera feed and looped it, as well as drugging the guards.'

'Keep searching for clues.' Morse said.

'Roger that.' Skye replied.

Hunter joined them at the desk.

'You find anything?' May asked.

'No.' Hunter replied. 'Unless a freaky obsession with fish and every known alcoholic beverage on the planet counts.'

'SHIT!' Romanoff swore. The other agents were immediately on their feet. If Romanoff had a reaction like that, then it meant something very, very bad had happened or was happening. She usually didn't react to anything, and nearly nothing surprised her.

'What?' May asked, the faintest trace of worry lacing her voice.

'We need to leave now.' Romanoff stated, while placing a bullet into a zip-lock bag.

'Why?' Hunter asked.

'This Bullet has a Hurricane mark on it, meaning the Assassin is _the_ Hurricane.' I frowned. I'd never heard of an Assassin named the Hurricane before. But Romanoff was deep in the business and had many illegal contacts, so I suppose it wasn't surprising she knew who the guy was. And if she was reacting like she had, then that meant the Hurricane was very, very dangerous.

'Who?' Hunter asked as Clint started proficiently swearing.

'Get Alisha, we need to leave right now.' Morse rushed over to grab Alisha, before walking her towards the elevator. A slight amount of fear was in her eyes, after hearing they realized who the assassin was, and she came without question, clearly eager to avoid anything to with the Hurricane.

'What's so bad about finding one of his bullets?' Hunter asked.

'The hurricane's untraceable, dam best assassin there is. This guy makes the Winter Soldier look like an ego inflated two year old to eager to please.'

I swore loudly. Natasha had told us how good the guy was. If he could beat her, and was equal to Captain America, then the Hurricane would be much, much worse. We wouldn't stand a chance in a fight.

* * *

'Who exactly is the Hurricane?' Coulson asked Natasha over the intercom, as Natasha was in a spate car to us.

'He's dangerous. Makes the Winter Soldier look like an amateur assassin.'

'You already said that.' Coulson replied. How powerful exactly is he?'

'He could easily defeat the Avengers without half trying.'

'So we do not want to meet him.' I rolled my eyes. Obviously. Sometimes Coulson was a little slow on the uptake.

'It's too late for that sir. He left a calling card, means he knew we were going to come, and I highly doubt well make it out of Chicago before he finds us. Actually, I know he'll find us before we leave Chicago.'

'You sound like you know him.'

'That's because I do sir. I've worked with him several times...he saved my life several times, most recently a couple months ago.'

'So you may know his weaknesses...how to beat him.' Coulson seriously needed to hear something good, even a small chance at taking down this "Hurricane" if he did decide to come visiting. Natasha's next words shattered his hopes.

'He has none. Even if we did manage to beat him in a fight, we couldn't hurt him. He'd just disappear.'

'What do you mean we couldn't hurt him?' Coulson asked.

'He's invulnerable.' Shit. Coulson swore inside his head. So the hurricane was a gifted, who couldn't be harmed. How the hell were they supposed to beat him?

'It's useless Coulson. If you shot him, the bullet would just bounce off his skin. He let me stab him once to prove his point. Full on stabbed him in the chest. My dagger snapped in half.'

Fuck. Coulson thought. If Natasha really was telling the truth then they had no chance of beating him. He'd be harder to take down then the avengers. Natasha seemed to read his thoughts.

'I know Coulson. We're damn lucky he's not on the dark side, or the enemy would win for sure. And that's not to mention his other powers.

'What do you mean he's not on the dark side?'

I mean, he only takes out high profile guys on the wrong side. Well...mostly. The attack on Julian Corates? That was a revenge attack.'

'Revenge?' Hunter asked. 'What did Corates do to him?'

'10 years ago the Hurricane well...I shouldn't even say it but...he played a part in the deaths of his girlfriend, family and friends. He was only a teenager.'

'God.' Hunter said in horror.

'As far as I know he already got all of them. 2010, the Russian defence minister. Osama Bin laden-'

'Wait, I thought the special forces got Bin Laden.' Coulson said.

'Yeah, they infiltrated the place but the he used the infiltration to cover him killing Bin Laden. He was the soldier who made the shot, Bin Laden bred to death, died painfully.'

'Who else?'

'A couple random civilians, you know those fishy civilian deaths in May 2008? Then there was that German politician who died in the car accident in 2009, his breaks were cut. The NASA scientist in 2007, a couple others. The point is, he's revenge driven. Those people...took everything from him. He...well his girlfriend...he held her in his arms as she died.'

Coulson gasped in horror. 'That's horrible.'

'That's not the worst of it. His mum was killed to, so after he got home...'

'No wonder his...revenge driven.' Hunter said in horror.'

'His mum and stepdad were dead. He loved his mum so much, but I believe the tipping point was... he had a newborn sister, one weak old...dead. He never met her. He was on the other side of the world when it happened.'

'What his doing is wrong...but...after hearing that...I can't really blame him.'

Just then, Natasha dropped a bombshell.

'Anyway, you've met him.'

'What?' Coulson asked shocked. 'When?'

'Five years ago, the oil rig. Remember?' Flashes of a burning oilrig flashed across Coulson's mind, as he remembered that day. He and Natasha, along with the other witnesses had been sworn to secrecy never to speak the truth of what had happened. The civilian witnesses had agents assigned to monitor them, to make sure they didn't speak.

'What happened at the Oil Rig?' Barton asked, over the com-link from the other car, behind them.

'Not Important.' Romanoff and Coulson snapped at the same time.

May spoke up. 'You better step on the gas, Trip.'

Trip nodded. 'Right away Agent May.' He replied. He accelerated as they turned the corner, onto a nearly deserted street, almost out of the city.

'That's strange...the streets...empty.' Barton said from over the com-link. Suddenly, a loud thud came from the roof of the car.

'Fuck! It's him!' Natasha yelled, at the same time that a hand smashed through the window, spraying Coulson and trip with glass, and ripping the steering wheel out.

'SHIT!' Trip swore, and immediately slammed his foot on the brakes. As the car begin to screech to a halt a cloaked figure was sent flying off the roof of the car and in front of them, who landed on his back and immediately turned the impact into a 180 degree roll, before digging a metal hand into the asphalt in front of him and sliding to a stop, facing towards the SUV.

Around them, other cars screeched to a halt, while people ran in all directions intending to escape the havoc. I watched on in shock. How the hell had he got up there?

Four long lines were gouged into the concrete, reaching at least twenty feet in front of the cloaked man's metal hand, which he slowly took out of the concrete and stood up, before whipping a bow off his back and shooting an arrow at the SUV that had come to a stop at the one beside ours, which was Romanoff's and Barton's.

The arrow hit the front of the car, and lodged itself in the bonnet of the car. 'Shit.' Clint yelled. 'That was an EMP arrow, we're stuck here!' He'd stepped out of the car but dived to the side as soon as the Hurricane had fired the arrow.

Coulson and the other agents quickly jumped out of the car, and I begin to advance toward the figure with May and Romanoff falling in beside me.

The man wore a gray cloak which extended from to his feet. A hood hid his face in shadows. He had several knives and guns strapped to his waist, thighs and other part of his body, and wore metal vambraces which extended from his wrists to just before his elbows. He had a bow, and quiver slung on his back, as well as the top of a rifle.

'Don't waste your bullets, they won't work on him. Use them to distract him. Clint, the same goes for your arrows too. May, Morse, help me keep his attention occupied while the others help the civilians escape.' Romanoff said. I nodded.

'If he's as powerful as you claim, then we won't be able to beat him.' I said, withdrawing my twin staves and spinning them in my hands.

'I know, but we can hold his attention for a short time. And I doubt he'll kill us. He'll most likely warn us to drop the Julian Corates incidence, and subdue us.' The Assassin was 10 feet from them now. Strangely, I couldn't see his face through the hood. All I saw was black, like an empty void.

'Attack together!' May yelled, just as the man got into striking distance. I instantly whipped her two staves at him, which he blocked with the metal vambraces. May threw a kick at his head, and he ducked to avoid Romanoff's slash with a knife, while grabbing May's foot and throwing her several feet behind him, who rolled to a painful stop before jumping up again.

Morse rapidly swung her staves at him, while Natasha rapidly slashed her knife at him, all of the strikes which he easily blocked with the vambraces or dodged by mere millimetres, waiting till the last possible millisecond to move, he was incredibly fast. He was better than good, and Morse knew he could have easily taken them out by now, but was enjoying toying with them.

May aimed a punch at his head from behind, but the man simply back flipped over her, grabbing her head mid-air, and throwing her backwards into the car, landing on the roof. Her head knocked against the car and she slid to the ground, unconscious. I winced. She was going to have a nasty headache when she woke up.

Romanoff growled. 'Morse retreat, I'll cover you!' She yelled, as the figure calmly retreated a dozen feet from down the road, allowing Morse to carry an unconscious May back to the SUV's with Hunter's help, who had appeared beside her.

An arrow whipped past Morse's head, and flew towards the figures face, who moved at the last second, catching the arrow inches in front of his face, before snapping it in half. Morse could hear Barton gasp in shock behind her.

'Bloody hell, Romanoff wasn't lying about how good the guy is, and he isn't even trying.' Hunter told her, as they reached the SUV's and laid May across the backseat of the SUV with the arrow in it.

Morse agreed. Even though he was fighting better than anyone Morse had ever met, she knew he was holding way back. And he hadn't even used his powers, and Morse knew he wouldn't need to.

Several I.C.E.R bullets bounced off his cloak as the Hurricane and Romanoff engaged in a deadly stare off. Romanoff pulled two knives from her thigh sheathes, and advanced toward him, while the man also drew two knives, and spun them both rapidly in his hands.

Both figures launched a fury of strokes at each other so fast Morse couldn't keep up, and she watched in awe as they matched each other stroke for stroke, a single attack never once slipping through either persons guard. As good as Romanoff was, Morse knew she'd lose, and she was sure Natasha knew it to. She was sure they both knew the man was holding way back. Although the ferocity and speed of her attacks never halted, the Hurricane was slowly pushing her backwards towards a car.

Natasha momentarily stopped the ferocity of her attacks, and the man threw both knives, spinning into the air, catching them with the opposite hands, before resuming the attack.

Both of the assassins were insanely good, able to fight independently with both hands. One Knife slashing while the other stabbed. Their fighting pattern was unpredictable constantly changing. When Romanoff got near the car he suddenly dashed forward, kicking her into the car. Romanoff gasped, and dropped her knives.

The Hurricane picked her up around the neck with his metal arm, before pulling her close to him and throwing her over the hood of the car. Hunter went to rush forward, and I barely managed to restrain him.

The Assassin leapt over the car, his metal hand smashing into the road and leaving a hole, with several cracks spreading in every direction from it. Romanoff rolled out of the way and launched a punch at his face. He grabbed her wrist, twisting her around and pulling her up against him, as his metal arm snaked around her neck, effectively restraining her, while the other sheathed his knife. His hand lingered at his side, before clenching into a fist.

'Let her go or we shoot!' Barton yelled, who had a sniper rifle trained on him. Coulson also had a sniper rifle trained on him, while Skye and Trip had sniper rifles trained on him from behind.

The man slowly raised his clenched hand up in the air above him, and stood still. Romanoff could have escaped the restraining hold easily, killing him in the process, but since he was invulnerable, she didn't even bother trying.

Morse frowned in puzzlement. Romanoff had said the Hurricane was invulnerable, so why was he surrendering?

'Now remove the other hand!' Barton yelled.

'I'll warn you once. Forget the Julian Corates case, or I'll kill you.' He had the deepest voice I'd ever heard, and although he only spoke quietly, his voice easily carried to me, over twenty feet away.

The man removed his other hand, then suddenly dropped a small black ball which instantly spewed forth smoke, completely covering the two assassins and extending nearly thirty feet in either direction, stopping just before it reached Morse's position. Smoke bomb, she realised, coughing as she accidently inhaled some of the smoke.

She heard the other agents swear, as the smoke cloud covered most of the street.

When the smoke dissipated the Hurricane and Romanoff had vanished without a trace.

* * *

**Sorry for the late update guys. I've been caught up with exam preparations. Next update will be before December 10th, as that is when I leave to go on holiday. I'll be gone for 5 ½ weeks, but will try to update in my spare time. I promise I'll try to post at least one chapter in that time.**

**Please review, fav and follow.**

**Also, tell me what you want to see happen in the story, as well as what marvel characters you want to see.**

**As usual, update progress will be posted on my profile page.**


	3. The 6th age

**A glitch with the site re-posted chapter 1 instead of chapter 3. That has now been fixed. Sorry for the confusion, and thank you for you're patience while I fixed this mistake. **

* * *

**First, I'm going to apologise for such a long wait for chapter 3. I have been on holiday in the U.S visiting my Dad since December 9****th****, and have had not had any time to update until a couple days ago, where I begin frantically writing this chapter. I hope it lives up to the quality of the previous two chapters. **

**Just an FYI, in the last chapter the characters were from the TV show, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and the main cast will be featured quite a bit throughout the story. For those who haven't watched Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D I highly recommend watching from episode 17 of season 1, and all the way up to the mid season finale, episode 10 of season 2. This story takes place after Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D episode 10 of season 2. For the sake of the story, Trip didn't die during the temple transformation at the end of the episode 2-10.**

**And now... a shout out to everyone who has reviewed, followed or favourite this story. You guys are the reason I have written chapter 3 during my holidays. Thank you so much!**

* * *

**(UTC-05.00) June 29th**** 2015**

**Artemis POV:**

Artemis let out a small smile, at the sight of the hunters merrily eating and drinking at the campsite, Rosabelle, the new lieutenant of the hunters making sure that no one was left out of the festivities. Tonight they were celebrating the introduction of two new hunters who had joined the hunt recently.

Phoebe-Elizabeth, one of the newest members was shy and nervous, and hesitantly joined in the laughter as Rosabelle dragged her into the festivities. Phoebe who was about 14 had come from a home where she was constantly being raped and bashed by her step-father and friends. She was one of the first mortals to join the hunt in years.

When Artemis had found her several days ago, the girl had been looking for her, after telling the tale of being rescued from captivity from her step-father by a grey cloaked man, who had killed her captors and spent hours convincing her he was there to help her.

Although being a very beautiful girl, Artemis knew her experiences would leave her mentally scared and independent for years, possibly even the rest of her life. Phoebe had the most beautiful blue eyes Artemis had ever seen and slightly curly blond hair that fell just past her shoulders.

Eventually after she had hesitantly believed his story, he had given her immediate medical attention, healing various wounds and injuries she had received, and given her ample food and water, as well as new clothes, as her captors had kept her in little rags or nothing at all.

He'd explained to her about the hunt and how she could have a new, real family, before leaving her near the camp, where Artemis had found her moments later. Artemis had attempted track the man, and although she could find where he and the girl had come from, she found no trace what so ever of him leaving, as if he'd just vanished from the face off the earth.

Strangely, it wasn't the first time she'd heard of the man. In the last five years he'd brought several girls to join the hunters, disappearing afterwards without a trace, a fact that greatly annoyed Artemis.

All the girls said the same thing about the man, he was kind like a big brother they'd always wanted, and he'd listened to them, helping them and guiding them through their issues and trauma. All had said he had an incredibly deep voice, and wore a gray cloak, which hid his face, and was outfitted with dozens of weapons, a bow, and swords, knifes, guns, a rifle and so on.

Though most of the girls absolutely despised men, they seemed to like the mysterious man, who had simply told them he was 'the ranger,' when they asked him.

Artemis frowned as she thought about 'The Ranger'. Since he'd brought several girls to the hunt starting over 4 years ago, she'd driven the hunt to find the mysterious ranger, without so much as finding a footprint.

She may have hated men, but she felt a grudging respect for whoever this mysterious ranger was. The only other man she had even slightly respected had been Percy Jackson, who had died in the Battle of Athens nearly nine years ago. She also held a slight amount of respect for the mortal Hawkeye, who was just a good as shot as her and Apollo, despite being mortal. As far as she knew, he hadn't missed a shot in at least half a decade.

The war had been hard on everyone, with more than half the demigods killed. Most of Olympus's armies had been vanquished during the battle, and Artemis had lost most of her hunt, including her previous lieutenant Thalia, who had been beheaded when jumping in front of her brother Jason Grace, pushing him away and taking the strike that had meant to cut off his head. Her oldest friend in the hunt had also fallen, Phoebe who had been in the hunt for nearly three thousand years.

Of the Seven heroes or the prophecy, only four remained. Frank, Annabeth and Percy had fallen during the battle. She shit her eyes refusing to think of the way the three had died, the memories still too painful.

Several gods had also fallen in the battle, most shockingly Zeus who had been literally ripped to pieces by Gaea in front of the armies of Olympus. After Piper, Leo and Jason along with the help of a dozen gods had managed to put Gaea back to sleep, permanently they hoped, the council of gods had voted Poseidon as the new leader of the gods, who immediately returned Hestia's throne to her, and added his brother Hades to the council.

In the years that followed, Poseidon had erased the boundaries between Major and Minor gods, as all gods were now part of the council, a decision that had reinforced the strength of Olympus tenfold, as the minor gods were finally brought the respect they deserved, and were now loyal to Olympus.

Frank and Annabeth were confirmed dead, their bodies buried and spirits found in the underworld by Nico Di Angelo, the son of Hades Artemis felt slightly sorry for, as his sister had died shortly after joining the hunt.

Percy was officially determined MIA, as his body had not be found, nor had his spirit appeared in the underworld. When asked, Hades had said that rarely spirits of deceased heroes stayed in the over world, guiding and protecting demigods from monsters, but none of it made any sense, because of Percy's true love towards Annabeth.

It was logical to assume that because of that, Percy would have went to the underworld at once, but since she and some others hoped he was alive, and the hunters had spent the last ten years roaming the globe in an attempt to find him. And, hadn't found so much as a clue.

The remaining seven heroes, along with Nico, Reyna and some of Percy's oldest friends from camp half-blood had spent most of their spare time searching for him, but had come up empty handed just like the hunters. Even the Amazons, though grudgingly had searched for Percy with no luck either.

Though, of all people, Poseidon was hit the hardest. Although he attempted to put on a brave face in public, he had changed since the battle of Olympus, Artemis hadn't even seen him so much as smile, which meant something was seriously wrong, since Poseidon always smiled.

In the years since Gaea's defeat, the seas had become violent, with record high deaths, shipwrecks and massive storms.

Artemis stood up, notching an arrow to her bow as she sensed a presence rapidly approaching the camp from behind. Spinning around she pulled the bow string back, ready to fire.

'Hunters,' Rosabelle shouted, noticing the movements of her lady, 'On your guard.' The hunters immediately sprang up, bows and quivers materialising on their backs, and they also notched arrows to their strings, pulling the string back, and holding it at full draw, prepared to shoot.

After several tense seconds a young man stumbled out of the bushes, out of breath and clearly running from something. He was wearing light celestial bronze armour, and held a gun in one hand. As soon as he saw them he ground to a halt.

Swearing he quickly fired two shots, instantly downing Rosabelle and Phoebe-Elizabeth, before taking off again, and running past the camp. Enraged I let my arrow fly, which struck him in the shoulder as he dived behind a tree. He yelped in pain, and raised a wall of vines to block the arrows of the hunters before springing away again.

'Hunters!' I shouted, 'leave this insolent whelp to me. Surround him. Katie, Courtney, provide medical attention to Rosabelle and Phoebe.'

The hunters and nodded, and immediately split up, chasing the man and preparing to surround him from all sides.

I was pissed. I'd already lost enough hunters in the war a decade ago, and this male just ran into my camp, shot two of my hunters and ran off. As I chased the man through the forest, jumping over tree roots and ducking under low hanging branches, I had a sense that we were being followed. I shook it aside for now, I'd deal with it later. First, I was going to severally wound this boy, then turn him into a new rug for my lieutenant Rosabelle's tent.

After several minutes, I was only a dozen meters behind him and we ran into a large clearing, with a single tree in the middle. Hunters emerged from the trees on every side of the clearing, completely surrounding him.

He looked around, panicked; clearly searching for a way to escape there was none.

'Any last words boy?' I sneered.

'Please...just let me escape.'

The other hunters growled in frustration and anger. 'You forfeited you're right to escape when you attacked my hunters.' I replied.

The young man looked around desperately, before suddenly whipping around to shoot one of the hunters. But I was faster. I instantly shot an arrow at him, aimed to go straight through his lower back and into his stomach. He'd bleed for hours, and just before he died I'd turn him into a foot rug.

I heard a slapping sound from the side, and a black arrow moving impossibly past flew through the air, shattering mine in midair and planting itself in the trunk of a tree to the side of the clearing, narrowly missing one of the hunters.

Meanwhile the poisoned dart he'd shot from the gun hit Kazuna, a young Japanese girl, sending her to the ground gasping for air.

A man leapt out of the trees, nearly forty feet up and landed on the ground, turning the impact into a roll. There was no way that was possible, even a demigod would at least break their legs from such a fall, but he seemed completely unaffected.

'Hunters!' I found myself yelling. 'Hold you're fire!' Something told me he was not to be messed with, and the only chance we had of beating him in a fight was if I used my full godly powers. And I meant chance. I wasn't sure even I could beat, unless I assumed my true godly form.

The man was wearing a gray cloak, and swung a massive longbow across his back. So he was the one who shot the arrow. I suddenly realised he would be a very, very dangerous adversary. Strangely, the man had no aura of power, though I sensed he should have a very powerful aura, at least as strong as a minor god, maybe even as strong as a major god. Somehow the fact that he had no aura of power made him seem even more menacing, mysterious and powerful.

The young man scrambled backwards, muttering in fright before slamming into the tree behind him. As the man walked towards him the hunters that he walked past seemed to lean away from him, some even took a few steps backwards.

A couple of the hunters were excitedly chattering to each other, pointing at the cloaked man. Suddenly, I realised this was the ranger, the guy who had brought several girls to join the hunt. It was clear that he was hunting the insolent whelp that attacked my hunters, and as soon as he was done with him I was going to question him.

The armoured man, who was cornered like a caged animal suddenly, raised his gun firing at the ranger. The man raised his arms and blacked all the darts with the metal vambraces he wore that stretched from his wrist to his elbow.

When the man ran out of ammo he withdrew a knife before slashing at the man who simply ducked under his strike, grabbed his arm on the way past and twisted it, forcing him to drop the knife. He let go, and the man stumbled backwards.

The ranger slowly picked up the knife and the young man seemingly taking the advantage of him being distracted leapt forward, aiming a punch at his head. The ranger moved impossibly fast, straightening up and kicking the man backwards several feet into the tree. The knife came spinning after him and planted itself into the tree, straight through his victim's wrist which was rasied slightly above his head. The armoured man screamed in pain, and blood begin running down his wrist.

He tried to reach up and pull the knife out, but the ranger reacted faster, whipping a gun out of its holster on his side and shooting him through the thigh. The man screamed again, and his hand fell to his thigh.

The ranger spoke. He had a very deep and menacing voice. 'Where is Porphyrion?' Several of the hunters gasped. After the battle for Athens Porphyrion had escaped, and we'd spent the better part of nine years trying to track him down.

'I don't...know wh...what you're talk...talking about.' The man stuttered.

The ranger lashed forward and punched the man in the face. Several of the hunters winced at the sickening cracking sound, and the man screamed in agony, clutching his broken nose as blood ran down his face. His eyes looked unfocused, possibly dizzy and weak from the amount of blood he was losing from three separate wounds. His breath came in loud jagged gasps.

'You know exactly what I'm talking about, Jake Grio, son of Eris.'

I gasped. Jake Grio had been one of the demigods who had been secretly working for Gaea, we'd though he'd died during the war. The last time I'd seen him he was only twelve.

'You were with Porphyrion a week ago when I confronted him, you were with the hundreds of monster who covered his retreat through the earth. I let you live. Tell me, how he fares with only half an arm. Without the earth to heal him he must be severely weakened.'

'He's fine.' He gasped, as he struggled to draw in air. The rangers stepped forward, and the man tried to spit in his face, but failed. Artemis could sense the anger radiating off the ranger.

'You're lucky we're in the presence of the hunters or you'd be unable to have children for that insult. Now tell me...WHERE IS PORPHYRION?' The ranger yelled.

'Go to...hell.' The man said. The ranger stepped forward and the man cringed, expecting a blow, but instead the man ripped the knife out of the tree and the man's wrist, chucking it to the ground several feet away. The man slumped to the ground, and tried to stand up.

Faster than most eyes could follow, the rangers hands shot forwards and snapped the man's neck with a sickening cracking sound. The man slumped to the ground dead, and several of the younger girls squealed in fright.

'Go to hell bitch.' The man muttered, as I slowly begin to approach him, signalling the hunters to stand down. Something told me to slowly approach him, and stay on his good side, because from what I'd seen demonstrated from him, I doubted I could beat him in a fight, unless I used my full godly powers, and the Ranger seemed to have to at least be a son of a major god, possibly even the son of one of the big three.

With that thought I held to a slight hope that this could be Percy, but I'd need to play it cool.

'Ranger?' I asked hesitantly, unsure what to call him. The ranger turned towards me and fell to one knee.

'Lady Artemis.' He said bowing, a slight amount of genuine respect colouring his voice. The man's hood bathed his face in shadow, enchanted most likely, as I was unable to see any of his facial features and it was like looking into a bottomless void, only black. I gestured for him to stand up, and he slowly rose.

The man held up his hand for silence, before whipping his longbow of his back, knocking an arrow and launching it towards the top of a tree. The arrow moved impossibly fast, and there was an inhuman, almost dog like yelp of pain as the arrow found it's mark. A pile of gold dust floated to the ground.

'Cynocephali.' The man said. Dog-headed men. They always travelled in packs, which meant more of them were nearby.

'There's several more lurking around here, Lady Artemis. You and I hunt them down, while the hunters return to camp.' I nodded, and relayed the orders to the hunters.

The ranger rapidly scanned the forest, before rapid firing half a dozen arrows in the space of a few seconds. I was impressed. His technique was flawless, his speed and power amazing, his ability was almost as god as mine, if not on par with it. If I didn't sense that he was a demigod I probably would have thought he was the mortal Hawkeye, based on his shooting skills.

As several more piles of gold dust floated to the ground, I could sense another dozen Cynocephali a couple hundred feet ahead. The ranger had paused momentarily, searching the surrounding forest by sending out his senses.

'That way.' He said, pointing towards where I sensed the monsters. I was impressed. The ranger had amazing senses.

He sprinted ahead, and I ran after him. His soft material boots made no sound on the ground. When he got 20 feet ahead he slowed down and snuck up behind one of the monsters, plunging his knife through the back of it's head. The monster burst into gold dust all over him.

The other monsters turned around, but they were to slow. Half a dozen were already turned into piles of dust before they'd turned around. The ranger was incredibly fast and skilled.

The last few remaining Cynocephali turned and drew long swords. The ranger sheathed his knife and withdrew twin swords, one celestial bronze and the other imperial gold.

The dog headed men snarled, and the leader charged towards the ranger. He swung his long sword at the ranger's waist who simply stepped back to avoid the strike.

The leader struck again, this time stabbing at his chest. The ranger twisted to the side, catching the sword between his arm and chest, before spinning around and throwing the leader off balance. His sword flashed once, and the body of the Cynocephali crumbled to dust. The head rolled to a stop at the rangers feet.

'Who's next?' He asked calmly.

The three remaining monsters charged at the ranger. Two received silver arrows in the head, while the other swung his sword at the rangers neck, in an attempt to take off his head. He ducked under the blow, and thrust one sword into the monster face, while the other sliced through its midsection. The monster crumbled to dust.

The ranger spun his swords once before sheathing them.

'So...you fight with both Roman and Greek weapons. Celestial bronze and Imperial gold.' Artemis stated.

'I'd be a fool if those were the only materials I used in weapons, Lady Artemis.'

'What do you mean?' Artemis asked.

'Certain monsters can only be killed in certain ways, or by certain materials.' The ranger replied, withdrawing two knives. 'Stygian iron and silver.' He said. 'As you'd be well aware, for example, wolfs can only be killed by silver.' He sheathed the two knives and drew a third.

'Mortal steel?' Artemis asked, shocked.

'Many a demigod has died, because they did not carry a weapon capable of harming humans, and with the work I do...I've come in conflict with many humans, unpleasant experiences I do not wish to share or experience again.'

His voice was laced with the slightest amount of anger, something only a trained expert looking for the signs could have picked up on.

'It was...personal.' I said. I imagined him frowning.

'One of my...friends,' He hesitated, and I sensed this person meant much more to him than a friend. 'my only friend, she...' He drifted off, seemingly deciding whether or not to share.

'You're only friend?' I asked, slightly surprised. Obviously, the Ranger somehow for an unknown reason had to trust me greatly to open up like this, most would of just ignored the question.

The ranger shrugged. 'I live a life of solitarily and independence. I don't have time to build relationships, nor do I want to. I learnt the hard-way to never trust anyone.'

I felt sorry for him and angry at the same time. How could someone live like that, just because of something that had happened in the past?

'What's so special about this one person that you would trust them?'

'She...she pulled me out of a dark place. I well...I owe her my life. If it wasn't for her I probably would of killed myself. She had a...bad, bloody past. It caught up with her...and well...I couldn't leave her to them. I got her out...went a little crazy. The people who took her...well...I...'

His voice started to break up with regret, and I knew what ever he'd done had not been pretty, which meant he had strong feelings for whoever this woman was.

'I massacred them. If she hadn't saved me... the world would be a very, very different place right now. I trust you head about the event in Norilsk, Russia earlier this year? I frowned, the event couldn't be so significant could it? I decided not to ask.

'Who's the lady?' I asked.

'Natalia Alianovna Romanov. Better known as Natasha Romanoff, or the Black Widow.'

His voice was filled with so much pain, and also...love. Natasha Romanoff was a beautiful, powerful woman, a woman that I respected. Probably one of the mortals I had held the greatest respect for in five thousand years. The Ranger sounded heartbroken, like he was torn between declaring his feelings for her...and something that had happened in the past.

'You love her.' I stated, deciding the most efficient way to get answers would be to dive in headfirst. We'd arrived back in the clearing where the ranger had killed the Jake, his body still lay on the ground. The ranger had knelt down to examine one of the darts on the ground, but froze and turned slowly to face me when I spoke.

When he spoke, he sounded completely heartbroken and unsure of himself. I...I don't know. I mean...after she died...I just can't love her and yet...I...I...don't know. She's the most important thing in my...my life...but I can't...Swear on the river Styx.' He said suddenly.

'What?' I asked, completely shocked at the sudden change of topic, and what he was asking of me.

'Swear on the Styx.' He said again, almost desperately. 'That you want tell anyone or anything what I'm going to reveal to you or have.' The man made an odd request, yet something told me I could trust him.

'I swear on the Styx to your terms.' I said. Thunder boomed overhead, sealing the unbreakable promise.

'I...' I heard the ranger let out a half sob. He slowly stood up, his hands reaching for his hood. 'I try not to...every day I try to force my feelings away, to force myself away from her. And yet...every day, no matter how hard I try not to...I fall more and more hopelessly in love with her. She's just so...beautiful...powerful and...perfect.'

Most men didn't love a woman. All they wanted to do was have sex, they didn't care about a woman, and how she felt, yet this man, the ranger, his love for Natasha Romanoff was true and pure. I knew he would die for her without a second thought if she asked him to, or it meant saving her.

The ranger continued. 'And after...after she died.' He paused, taking his hood off. The man was unbelievably beautiful and handsome. Long brown hair, fell to his shoulders, resting on them slightly. Strangely though, he had a streak of gray hair from that reached from the top of his head and down the right side of his hair. It seemed familiar, and I felt that I should know what it was, or what it meant, but I couldn't quite place a finger on it.

He had light facial hair, maybe a week's growth around the mouth and on the chin. A day or two's growth every-where else. He had the most beautiful green eyes, which seemed really familiar. He would have looked perfect, if not for the massive scar on his face. The faded white scar stretched from his forehead past the corner of his left eye and all the way down to his left chin. It added a sense of mystery and...depth to him.

His eyes were what got to me though. They were so full of pain and sadness, that I almost felt like hugging the man to comfort him. Strangely, I'd never seen this man before, yet I felt like I knew him, or used to know him. Tears silently streaked down his face.

'I just...I don't know if I'm ready...or if I can have a relationship with her. Not after...she died.'

'Listen to me!' I said, raising my voice and cupping his cheeks in my hands. He shivered under my touch. 'Look me in the eyes.' I told him. He did, and I almost gasped at the depth of sadness, power, anger and...Darkness in them.

'I don't know how her death affected you and I never will. But what I do know, is however much you loved that girl in your past, you love Natasha Romanoff a hundred times over.' I let go of his face, and his head dropped down.

It was plain obvious he loved Natasha far more than he had ever loved this girl in his past, but something other than his love for the previous girl was preventing him from pursuing it, and I was at a loss to see what it was.

I decided to try help him, to persuade him to pursue her. If anyone was worthy of Natasha Romanoff, it was the ranger, who was rapidly becoming one of the only men Artemis had ever respected.

'If you love Natasha so much...then...why do you hide from it? I asked.

'I...' he sounded torn, like he didn't know what to believe anymore. 'I Love her...I truly do...but because of that...I'm betraying her. 'His voiced got caught on her name. 'Betraying the memory of her. I...I can't do that.'

'She'd want you to move on, you know.'

I expected him to start yelling at me, about how she wouldn't, but he just sighed. 'I...I know...but I just can't bring myself to. '

'Cherish those memories of her, Ranger. Never forget them. You loved her, I know, I can see it in your eyes. But you know what else I see?' I asked. He shook his head.

'However much you loved the girl in your past , you love Natasha a hundred times over.'

'I know...' He whispered heartbroken. 'But...I feel like I'm betraying her.'

I grabbed his chin, and stood on my tiptoes so our faces were level. I looked him directly in the eyes. 'You are not. Don't lie to me or yourself. That's not what's stopping you from pursuing it. Don't make the mistakes of others, and turn away. Cherish the time you do have with her, now. Otherwise, one day, you'll regret not pursuing her.'

'She would...never love me in return. She said..."Love is for children."' He sounded heartbroken.

'No.' I said, shaking my head. He opened his mouth to speak, but I held up my hand to stop him. He quickly closed his mouth again. 'I am...aware of Natasha's past. Of all the mortals alive, she's the one I respect the most. The thing things those people did to her...she'll never get over it. It's why she vowed never to love, or be involved with anyone. Because she's afraid they'll hurt her.'

I paused to take a breath. This was a crucial moment for the Ranger, and I knew I had to choose my wording carefully. 'Yet, the mortal Clint Barton has helped heal those scars. He's like a brother to her. I believe that she is simply looking for the right person, someone who loves her with all their heart, and that she will love equally in return. I know it may be hard to earn her love, but I know if you truly do love her, she will love you in return. I sense you two are destined for each other. She knows you love her, she's the best at espionage for a reason. She is just...fighting with herself and past experiences. If you show you truly love her...then I trust she will return that love.

'I...thank you, my lady. You have no...Idea...how much that means to me.' The ranger said.

I nodded, and reached forward to hug him, I felt him stiffen in shock as I wrapped my arms around him in a comforting sisterly hug.

After I broke apart from the hug, he stepped back before flicking his hood back on, before starting to walk in the direction of the hunter's camp.

'This conversation stays between us. I trust you'd keep my secret even if you didn't swear on the river Styx. As far as the hunters know, if they ask, I'm Aragorn son of Chione, Khione if you're Greek.'

'Aragorn...the name suits you. Your mother is Chione?'

He snorted. 'Don't sound so shocked. I disowned that bitch as soon as I discovered she was my mother. Just because your parents are on the wrong side doesn't mean you are. Look at Zeus, his father was Kronos. Or Calypso, her father was Atlas. Learn not to judge based merely on family circumstances.'

I nodded.' Apologies, Aragorn.' He nodded, and I continued on. 'Why do you need to go to hunter's camp?' I asked.

He paused, and handed me a dart before continuing to walk. I could see a thin layer of poison on the head of the dart.

'That, is poison of the aconite flower. You're hunters have only a few hours to live. Fortunately I know the cure, and-' He pulled a small pouch out of his cloak, which expanded into the size of a bag. 'I also have the resources to treat the poison.'

Noticing my gaze on the bag, he shrugged and said 'Magic bag, can collapse to the size of a small pouch, and can hold anything.'

'And why do you need to heal them? I could just do it myself.'

'Probably...but you do not know the cure, nor do you have the resources for the cure...' He trailed off. Both of us knew what he said was true. The cure for the aconite flower was extremely rare, and as far as I knew, it didn't even exist anymore. The last of the rarest ingredient of the cure had been destroyed on Olympus during the second titan war. In fact, I wondered how he even had the cure.

'Swear on the Styx.' Artemis said, throwing his own words back at him. 'Swear that you will heal them.'

'I will...as long as you swear to allow me to leave peacefully, though I doubt you could stop me if I truly wished to leave.'

I frowned at his statement, but agreed to his terms, and we both swore on the river Styx. Thunder rumbled overhead.

We walked back to the camp in silence, but were intercepted by the hunters as we arrived at the edge of the clearing where we had set up camp.

'Milady.' One of the hunters greeted. I nodded. 'What is he doing here?'

'He, is here with my blessing to heal the fallen hunters.'

Sophie sneered. 'We don't need his help. Get lost boy.' She said, making a shooing motion towards Aragorn.

'Boy...funny, considering I'm older than you Sophie Freud.'

Sophie laughed. 'Older? I've been in the hunt for 300 years, you're 30 tops.'

'The ranger shrugged. 'Perhaps, but then appearances can be deceiving. I trained 500 years with the best in the universe. I've combated beings, and encountered items capable of destroying this planet in seconds. So don't call me boy if you wish to live.'

Sophie sneered, and I internally sighed. The ranger was probably going to knock her ego down a bit, and I didn't have a chance to stop him.

'How do I know-' She was cut off by a painful gasp, as the point of a sword appeared through her chest. The ranger shimmered and disappeared from beside me, reappearing behind Sophie, holding a sword that was embedded through her back. He withdrew the sword, just as I shot an arrow at him.

The arrow passed straight through his head and narrowly missed one of the hunters behind him. The ranger disappeared again. Sophie slumped to the ground, just as the ranger's form dematerialized again.

'Sophie!' I yelled, and rushed over to help her, though in knew she would die. I rolled her over, and watched in shock as the wound suddenly disappeared, as if it had never existed.

'What...what happened?' Sophie asked as she sat up, staring down at her chest in shock. Even the shirt had magically repaired itself as if it had never had a hole ripped in it by a sword.

I heard the laughter of a male behind me, and whipped around, notching an arrow to the string. My arrow was inches from the face of the ranger. I wanted to shoot the arrow straight through his stupid face, but some unseen force restrained me from doing so.

'It's a sad day when a demigod can fool a major goddess with a trick of the mist.'

'What...that was a mist trick?' I asked, shocked. How could a demigod possibly utilise the mist to such a level it could fool me, a major goddess? There was something strange about this ranger, and something told me he wasn't exactly a demigod, he had some other blood flowing in his body other then god and mortal.

'Yes, a simple mist trick. Though I am impressed, it took me more power to fool you than I anticipated.' My anger faded. I was impressed, though wary that the ranger held so much power. He could be a very dangerous enemy if he was ever against us.

'I trust you are loyal to the gods?' The ranger snorted. 'The reign of the gods is over. The sixth age shall soon begin. Did Apollo not tell you the next great prophecy?'

Aragorn melted into shadow, leaving a small bottle behind, which contained the cure for the poison of the aconite flower.

* * *

**Wow. Another great chapter. Thanks so much for reading. I promise chapter 4 will continue where chapter 2 left off. Please keep track of dates used in the story. This chapter was a flashback to about a week before the events of chapter 1 &amp; 2 happened. **

**Please, please, please, please, please review, favourite and follow.**

**And please pm me, or a leave a review of who you want to see in this story, and who you want to see join the avengers, as well as what you would like to see happen in the story.**

**I will be away until January the 17****th****, but I 99.99% guarantee the next update will be before the end of January.**


	4. Aragorn

**July 6th, 2015 2.47pm (UTC-06.00)**

**Coulson POV:**

'This is ridiculous.' Skye proclaimed. 'Romanoff was abducted by that crazy metal arm cloaked dude. It's not like she's can escape and will show up back at the bus. You heard what she said about him.'

I sighed. We'd been standing on the ramp of the bus, just outside Chicago for several hours, waiting to see if Romanoff would show up. I'd almost had to physically restrain Barton from going after Romanoff, and currently had him locked up in the interrogation room on the Bus. As much as I hated to do it, it was for his own good.

As much as I wanted to go after Romanoff, I knew I couldn't. It'd be foolish. Between what Romanoff said, and the Oil Rig incidence, which Romanoff had told me was him, I knew we'd never see Romanoff again. Part of me still hoped he just wanted to talk to her or something, but I knew that was extremely unlikely.

I sat down on the ramp, lost in thought as I remembered the incident at the Oil rig four years ago.

* * *

**March 18****th****, 2011 1.38pm Mexican Coast**

**Third Person POV**

'Coulson!' Agent Romanoff, otherwise known as the Black Widow shouted over the flames. 'I've sent out a distress signal, but I don't know how much longer we can last.'

'How long!' He roared back, over the noise of the roaring flames of the currently burning oil rig. What had started as a check-up on the oilrig, which was secretly a cover up of a S.H.I.E.L.D project under the ocean, had quickly turned into an emergency situation that would impend the project for months to come.

'A couple minutes. S.H.I.E.L.D should arrive before the coast patrol, but we need to get up to the helipad!' Coulson nodded.

Romanoff rushed to the supply cupboard with one of the oil rig workers rushed to the, and begin removing emergency equipment, dumping fireproof suits and oxygen tanks onto the table in the centre of the room.

Several of the workers and agent Coulson coughed as they inhaled smoke, the air becoming uncomfortably warm around them.

'This is the last of the oxygen!' The overseer of the oil rig operation shouted. 'I don't know how much longer we can last!'

Everyone froze and turned towards the door, as a large metallic crushing sound came from that direction. About midway up the door on either side part of the metal was crushed inwards, before the door was ripped off its hinges and thrown to the side.

A man stood in the doorway, a man with shoulder length brown hair, green eyes and who was completely ripped with muscle on top of muscle. But even the metal arm that replaced his left arm wasn't the reason the oil rig workers and S.H.I.E.L.D personal had recoiled in shock. The fact that the man was on fire, and somehow remained completely unaffected by it was.

After they recovered from their shock they followed the unspoken message in his eyes and followed him out of the doorway and into the hallway beyond, following the lead of Romanoff who led the pack.

After the minute they arrived at the ladder that led upwards to the helipad, and begin to climb. The man stood to the side, the flames that had danced around him now extinguished, and begin yelling at the workers to run toward the landing S.H.I.E.L.D Quinjet on the edge of the helipad.

Romanoff and Barton, who'd stepped of the lowered ramp of the Quinjet begin pushing people inside as they arrived at the bottom of the ramp. Finally only the rescuer was left, who slowly walked towards the middle of the platform.

'Get that last guy loaded. We have got to go!' The pilot yelled.

The man suddenly turned at the sound of snapping and collapsing metal, as the large central tower of the oil rig begin a slow descent towards the Quinjet.

'Hey mister, what are you doing!' Barton yelled, as the rescuer begin walking towards the edge of the slowly descending tower, which had momentarily stopped falling, due to an unseen restraint preventing it from falling any further.

With a loud groan, that restrain broke, and the tower resumed its fall. The man turned towards Romanoff and Barton, the unmistakable message of "GO!", written all over his face and in his eyes.

The man leapt forward, and caught the tower as it fell, groaning under the weight. With the ramp still down, and many of the oil rig workers watching in awe, the Quinjet begin to lift off the helipad, before moving to the side and out of the danger zone.

The man continued to groan as he held up the weight of the tower, but it was a losing fight, as the tower slowly got closer to the ground, and the hot metal under the man's feet collapsed inward. Then the metal collapsed under his feet, and the tower came crashing down onto the helipad and went careening off the side and into the ocean.

The last thing Romanoff saw as the ramp of the Quinjet closed, was a vague outline of a body falling into the ocean.

Afterwards, the entire incident had been covered up. All who had witnessed the events had been sworn to secrecy to never reveal the truth of what really happened, and the mystery man had been assumed MIA by S.H.I.E.L.D, who had never found a body on the ocean floor.

* * *

**July 6th, 2015 2.58pm (UTC-06.00)**

**Coulson POV:**

Coulson shook his head as he remembered the memory. The man had officially been declared dead, as S.H.I.E.L.D had never found a body. All the oil rig workers had been sworn to secrecy after the event, not that anyone would have believed them anyway. The man had a metal arm, was on fire without being affected, and somehow, albeit temporarily held up a massive metal tower. Only the Hulk and Abomination, and maybe Thor could have achieved something like that.

Which made Coulson wonder if the man was alien. But that didn't make sense. The man looked extremely human, apart from his powers. It made Coulson wonder how he had gained his fire resistance and strength powers. Over the years Coulson had dealt with several people who Fury kept under extreme surveillance, because they had developed mysterious powers. Some had even been considered too dangerous to live, and were 'crossed off', much to Coulson's protests.

Carl Creel, otherwise known as the absorbing man, who they had personally dealt with last winter had been a good example of someone with powers, although the origins of his powers were unknown.

Someone shook his shoulder. 'Coulson! Coulson...are you even listening to me?'

I jerked up, climbing to my feet, to meet Skye's concerned face. 'What?' I asked.

'There's a car approaching, what do we do?'

I looked forward, putting a hand up to shield my face from the glare of the sun. Sure enough there was a car approaching us, what looked like a sports car, and it was approaching us very rapidly.

'You think it's Romanoff?' Coulson asked May.

She shrugged. 'Could be. Her kind of style.'

'Uh...Coulson?' Skye said nervously.

'Yeah?' I replied.

'Don't you think the car is approaching a little...I don't know...fast?'

I shrugged. 'Not really.' I replied.

The car continued to rush towards us, with no signs of slowing down, and strangely with no sound , (which we should have heard clear as day due to how fast the car was travelling, at least 300 miles per hour,) before spinning to a screeching halt, striking a cloud of dust up from the ground towards us.

I coughed as I accidently inhaled the dust then waited for the dust cloud to clear. Finally, the dust cloud cleared revealing a very expensive looking, low lying sport car.

'No way!' Mack said. 'That's a...a Koenigsegg One:1. Only 6 were ever made.'

'Man I don't care.' Trip said. 'That thing is bad-ass. And if Romanoff stole then she's even more bad-ass.'

'Custom paint job to,' Mack continued on, 'Traditional colours are silver, gray and orange, this one is blue, black and white-'

Mack trailed off when the passenger door opened, being pushed upwards and forward so it looked like it was standing on it's side.

Natasha Romanoff stepped out of the car, her hair back to it's usual red colour, and wearing civilian clothing. Jeans, long leather boots, a black shirt with a lot cut neck and a horizontally blue and gray striped hoddie.

'Romanoff, good to see you again.' I called out. She nodded, and closed the car door.

'Who's in the driver side?' May asked.

Romanoff shrugged. 'The Hurricane.' She replied, just as the door on the driver's side opened and a cloaked man stepped out, the sun temporarily glaring off his metal arm.

My hand instantly reached for my I.C.E.R, but I was stopped by Romanoff.

'Stand down! He's a friendly.'

'Friendly?' Trip asked. 'He attacked us and abducted you.'

'A test.' The man said, his hood still up, and cloak drawn around him, so we could only see the bottoms of his boots. Somehow he was looking right at me from a dozen feet away, but I couldn't see his face. It almost made me wonder if the hood had some type of cloaking technology.

Romanoff stepped in. 'We were ordered by Fury himself to test Coulson's team.'

'And?' I asked, leaving the question hanging. This situation was getting weirder by the minute. The only reason we hadn't shot the Hurricane yet, was because we trusted Romanoff. Although May looked seriously close to shooting him, she was always one to savour a grudge, and she'd be out for revenge.

'You passed.' The hooded man said, 'Though there are massive areas of improvement needed, which we can go over later.'

I frowned internally. 'Of course,' I said nodding. 'I trust Romanoff, but S.H.I.E.L.D protocol states we still have to detain and interrogate you.'

'Of course.' He replied.

'May, restrain him.' I said. May stepped forward with a pair of handcuffs, but Romanoff stopped her.

'Don't.' She said.

'What?' May replied, looking shocked that Romanoff had stopped her.

'There's no point restraining him, he'd just break out. And the only way you could restrain him is if he lets you.' She said.

'I believe you have a holding cell called the cage. That should be sufficient enough to hold me of course.' The cloaked man said.

'I'll watch him.' Romanoff said.

'Fine.' I sighed. I knew this wasn't go to work out in any other way, and the man seemed to be co-operative to a level, but clearly set limits to what that level was.

And there was something weird between the cloaked man and Romanoff that I couldn't put my finger on. It seemed like they knew each other to well, beyond the usual relationship that assasians had.

'Good.' The man said, and chucked Romanoff a set of keys. 'Take Lara in for me would you Romanoff?' She nodded, and the man turned towards me.

'I believe I owe you a car. You'll find a new S.H.I.E.L.D SUV back at headquarters, courtesy of Fury.'

I nodded my thanks. 'I trust you're familiar with the Bus then?'

He shrugged. 'Of course, and don't worry about Barton going berserk on me, he knew about the attack to.'

I frowned, unhappy that both Barton had kept the attack secret from me. Romanoff, I could understand. She never told anyone anything. Hell, I'd worked as her handler for 9 years, ever since Barton had brought her in, and I still didn't know her true personality. Barton probably didn't either, and he was her partner. Romanoff always wore a mask over her true identity.

We moved to the side as Romanoff drove the car onto the cargo ramp and parked it.

'Uh...Hurricane?' Mack asked.

'Yes'? The hurricane said, turning around to look at Mack.

'Would I be able to err...look at your car later? Hurricane...god...I didn't even know what to call him. The next time I talked to him it would be because I was asking him what his name was.

'Of course. After I pass Director Coulson's test, you can examine it, take it for a spin, whatever.

Mack's face lit up like he was a little kid and Christmas had come early. 'Thank you.'

'Anytime.' Hurricane replied, and turned to walk up the cargo ramp and towards the holding cage.

* * *

**July 6th, 2015 5.03pm (UTC-06.00)**

**Coulson POV:**

'So,' Agent May begin. 'This is an interrogation; you will answer every question we ask truthfully. Romanoff and I are trained to sense lies. Lie, and we detain you.'

'Sounds fair.' Hurricane said who was currently pacing behind the Inertial Confinement Laser barrier in vault D.

He had withdrawn his cloak behind him, so it hung of his shoulders kind of like a cape. He wore long soft boots, and leather trousers, and a brown leather jerkin. Overtop he wore a long coat of heavy leather, with metal vambraces on his lower arm. Around his clothing were various empty holsters for knives, guns, and surprisingly swords, one either side of his hip. Around his neck was the clasp for his cloak. Unfortunately, he still hadn't taken off his hood, but I still vaguely remembered his face from the oil rig incident.

Only me, Romanoff, May, and Hurricane were currently in the room.

'First, a simple question.' May begin. 'What's your name?'

'Aragorn Achilles Grimwarden Hiddenblade Alrunthel' He replied instantly.

'What?' May said.

'Ar-a-gorn-A-chill-es-Grim-war-den-Hidd-en-blade-Al-run-thel.' He repeated, slowly, as if speaking to a baby. 'But I'd prefer it if you called me Aragorn.'

May opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. After a couple seconds, she recovered.

'Who old are you?' he shrugged.

'Biologically, twenty-seven.'

'What do you mean biologically?' May asked. I was just as confused as her.

'I mean my body, is twenty-seven years old, I am not.'

'So how old exactly are you?' I asked.

Aragorn took a deep breath and sighed, before glancing at Romanoff, who nodded. 'Five-hundred-and-sixty-three.'

'WHAT!' I yelled shocked. 'When were you born?'

'1987.' He replied.

'Then how the hell-'

'Time flows differently in a select few places in the universe. Just before I was seventeen, I came to one of these places, where I spent the next five hundred years. Every year on earth, is one-hundred in that place. My body stopped aging when I turned 27, at my physical prime. And yes, I am 563 earth years old.'

'Are you human?' May asked.

Aragorn snorted. 'I thought you were one of S.H.I.E.L.D's brightest, Melinda May. To answer your question,' he said, after May gave him a withering glare, 'no, I am not human.'

He reached up to his hood and pulled it back, revealing his face. His skin was pale white, unnaturally white. His long slightly curly brown hair fell to his shoulders, and was messy, as if he did not brush it, giving him a kind of wild look. His green eyes were just as full of pain and sadness as I remembered. A deep, long white scar on the right side of his face reached from the top of his forehead to the corner of his chin.

He had a goodly amount of facial hair, probably two weeks growth around the mouth and chin, and slightly less on the sides of his face.

'So what are you then?'

'My most dominant race, is Elven.' He said, reaching up and brushing his hair back to reveal pointed ears that were slanted backwards. He pushed the hair back over his ears again.

'Although I am only part Elven, which is the most prominent in my blood. My Grandmother was an elf. She fell in love with a man who was part Asgardian and Inhuman, with very faint Celestial blood in his veins. My grandmother bore a child, and the elves cast her out for the insult. The child was my Mum. A god from another world fell in love with my Mum, and I was the result. I combine the bloodline of 5 species.'

He paused, and took a deep breath before continuing. 'By the way, Skye, or Daisy by her birth name, is Inhuman to. Part of the reason I came here was to train her powers, and warn you someone is searching for her. But enough of that your interrogating me. So go ahead...ask.'

'You said your inhuman.' May said, 'Skye's powers are-'

'Seismic energy generation, or put in simple terms, she can create waves of vibrations that can create effects similar to those of earthquakes.'

'And yours?' May asked, looking annoyed that Aragorn had interrupted her.

Aragorn's eyes started to glow red. 'Heat vision.' He said, as the glow faded from his eyes. 'I can heat stuff up by my eyes by sending heat waves towards an object, or used at its full power, it's capable of vaporising buildings in seconds. I also have the ability to adapt to, and survive and environment including deep space.'

'Do have other powers, from other blood lines?' I asked.

'Asgardian I get increased strength, skin and muscle density, and increased senses. Elven I get extreme accuracy with all projectile weapons, and enhanced eyesight. Extended livelihood from Asgardian, Elven and Celestial and from the God, I have power over water. I can control, freeze it, create hurricanes, use it to heal myself and others, and invulnerability, as well as other powers.'

I whistled. This guy was a virtual powerhouse. It was lucky he was on the good side. Asgardians were strong enough. This guy if he was to believed, (of which Romanoff had given no sign of,) then he would make the Hulk and Thor look like a baby in comparison to him.

* * *

**July 6th, 2015 7.49pm (UTC-06.00)**

**Coulson's POV:**

'So, you said someone was hunting me.' Skye blurted out, unable to hold the question in any longer. Aragorn, the team and the two assassins, Romanoff and Barton, were currently eating dinner in the Playgrounds dining room.

Aragorn calmly lifted a fork full of Chicken Valetino Pasta, (A dish which he had made with Romanoff and Barton for the team,) to his mouth, before picking up a serviette and wiping the corner of his mouth.

The man was an eating machine. He Romanoff and Barton had made enough of the dish to feed an entire army, (or for one who ate like an army) and while most of us had barely started seconds, (with an exception of Fitz, who was on his fourth plate) he had already gone through at least a Dozen plates.

'Yes.' Aragorn said, looking at Skye. 'Tomorrow, I will help you gain control over your gift, but I suppose I should inform you who is actually hunting you. But some basic inhuman law first.' He said. He'd already vaguely explained to Skye and us that she was part of a race called the Inhumans, and that it was normal for that race to have powers, which differed for each person.

'Which is?' Skye asked.

'The process you undertook in the hidden city is called Terrigenesis. The Diviner contained a Terrigen crystal, which when activated released the terrigen mists. While completely harmless to humans, the mists awaken an inhuman dormant powers. I gained mine when I was 553, sometime in 2013.'

Aragorn took a long draught of water, before reaching into his cloak, and pulling out a large metal object. Hunter jerked backwards and fell out of his chair. I recoiled in shock, as did many others.

'The diviner...how?' Skye asked, 'It was destroyed during the ceremony.'

'Ah. The one you knew was, but it was not the only diviner.' The markings on the diviner begin to glow orange.

'The diviner contains a terrigan crystal. It is used to determine whether or not the subject has inhuman blood. If they do, then the diviner glows orange. If they do not, then they're turned to stone, as you've personally witnessed.'

'But what does the diviner have to do with the guy hunting her?' Morse asked.

'The group hunting her also have a diviner. After the successful transformation of an inhuman, other diviners on the planet will glow orange of their own accord, alerting other's in possession of one, that an inhuman has successfully completed the transformational ceremony. The group of Inhumans on the planet, have been alerted to her and Raina's transformations and are hunting you.'

'But why?' Skye asked.

'To control you, and use you for their own purposes.'

'So how many are hunting her.'

'A small group are hunting her and Raina. The leader is called the Reader. He had the ability to make anything he read come to life. The Inhuman King, Blackbolt, decided his ability was to powerful, and had his eyes gouged out. He was cast out from the Inhuman home planet. Eventually he found his way to earth.'

'He has the ability to make whatever he reads become real?' Hunter marvelled.

'Yes. Fortunately for us, he no longer posses that ability. And if he did, I would have hunted him down and killed him myself. Now that he is on earth, he seeks to find new Inhumans, and bend them to his will. For what purpose I do not know, but I guess it's part of some twisted plan to take revenge.'

Aragorn reached up to scratch his pointed ears. 'Tomorrow I shall help Skye control her powers, but she will need to continue training without me. I do not have time to fully train her. I can start her off, guide her, and check on her once in a while, but that is all.'

'Why can't you stay longer?' Morse asked.

Aragorn shrugged. 'I'm a busy man. I keep watch of events all over the world and the universe, and so I am constantly travelling. Over the years, I've learned to trust my instincts and right now they are telling me something big is going to happen in the next couple days. Something on earth, and afterwards, the world will never be the same again.'

* * *

**July 6th, 2015 9.13pm (UTC-06.00)**

**Third Person POV:**

'It's time Natasha.' Aragorn said, as he walked down the steps into vault D, carrying a metal brief caseNatasha Romanoff was already waiting at the bottom of the staircase for him.

'Are you sure about this?' She asked. 'You don't need the treatment for another fortnight.'

'A wise man never puts of things of importance to a later date. He completes them, as soon as a time of opportunity comes.'

'Ok.' She replied.

Aragorn stepped into the prison cell area of vault D, and placed the briefcase on the bed, before opening it, revealing several rows of needles, several small bottles of disgusting brown looking liquid, and a strange need attached to a computer screen.

'What exactly are you doing?' Coulson asked, confused as why he needed to be in a maximum security area to give himself a needle, and why he needed Natasha's help with the task.

If there was one thing that had become clear to Coulson is was that Aragorn trusted no one except for Natasha, and wouldn't even let anyone else near him, much let touch him. Apart from the brief conversation at dinner where he had revealed Skye's origins, he had made efforts to stay independent from the team, even though they had made it clear that he was welcome among them.

As he turned to Coulson to answer, his eyes had a haunted look in them.

'Giving myself remedy to a disease. I...'

He trailed off and slowly sank down onto the bed, burying his head into his hands.

Romanoff turned to Coulson and May. 'He's had a tough life...he doesn't like to talk about the...sickness that plagues him.'

Aragorn looked up. 'When I lost my arm, the blade that cut it off was poisoned. Unfortunately, the poison has no known cure but it can be...stopped from progressing any further towards my heart.'

'How do you plan to give yourself a needle if you're invulnerable?' May asked.

'I can remove the invulnerability when I wish. Like I have done now.'

He pulled the needle out of the briefcase and a vein in his elbow, before pulling it out, and wiping the blood on the inside of his elbow away.

'Blood toxicity 94%.' He muttered, before putting the device back into its allotted slot in the briefcase.

'What do you mean blood toxicity 94%?' Natasha asked.

'I haven't been honest with you, Natasha. I'm dying.'

'What?' Natasha said shocked.

'Once I reach 100% blood toxicity, I'm as good as dead.'

'How long?' She whispered.

May and Coulson watched on sadly, as they realised the feelings between the two of them were much deeper then they realised. Coulson knew Romanoff was barely holding it together, and had a feeling that Aragorn's answer may send her into frenzy.

'The treatment should knock my blood toxicity down to 92%.'

'HOW LONG!' Natasha yelled, breathing heavily, standing inches away from Aragorn in her trademark, the Black Widow is going to kill you slowly and painfully stance.

Aragorn's eyes flashed a silent plea of help towards Coulson and May, but Romanoff turned and gave them such a deadly glare, even the Calvary step a nervous step backwards. It was all Coulson could do not to bolt out the room screaming like a little girl.

The last time he'd seen that look on Romanoff's face had been when Barton had been captured and tortured. When they'd caught up with the captors Romanoff had made such a mess of them, that It still haunted Coulson's dreams 10 years later.

For one vulnerable moment, the dark side, the red room Black Widow had come out, and Coulson wished he'd never have to see it again. He'd never told Fury the full truth of what had happened that day.

'17 months at best.' Natasha started breathing heavy, and pushed Aragorn back on the bed, and climbed on top of him, straddling him.

'And at worst?' She said.

Coulson was surprised as he saw visible fear in Aragorn's eyes. Sure anyone would be shitting themselves with the looks Romanoff was currently giving him, but the guy was invulnerable. She shouldn't be able to hurt him.

Unless he let her. And the only reason he would do that was so she wouldn't get angrier then she already was.

'Well...uh...' He stuttered.

'Yes?' Romanoff said in a sweet voice, drawing a knife and placing it as his throat.

'Two weeks.' He squeaked.

'WHAT!' Romanoff roared, and threw he knife to the side, before punching him in the face, hard, a dozen times.

'YOU-BLOODY-IDIOT-ARGAORN-WHY-DIDN'T-YOU-TELL-ME-EARLIER!' She screamed, while punching him as hard as she could between every word.

Coulson and May rushed over, and pulled her off him, and she instantly turned to them, pulling a knife out of god knows where, and brandishing it us, before Aragorn got up and pulled her back into him, embracing her.

Romanoff shook as she recovered from her outburst, and angry tearing streaking down her face. Chest rose and fell rapidly as she forced herself to calm down, still gripping the knife in her hand tightly, before dropping it.

'I'm sorry.' She said turning to Aragorn, whose face was a bloody mess. Surprisingly, the entire time Romanoff had murdered his face he hadn't so much as groaned in pain.

May retreated upstairs as Coulson continued to watch them.

'It's ok.' He said. 'I deserved it. You're right; I should have told you earlier. It won't happen again.'

'It better not. Because if it does I'm going to take this knife and make sure you can never have chil-'

'Woah, calm down Romanoff.' Coulson said. Although he wasn't really concerned. He'd seen the Black widow make grown men cry like babies.

May returned with several bottle of water in her arms, which she gave to Aragorn.

'Thanks.' He said, and May nodded her head in return. Romanoff got up out of his lap and sat on the bed beside him. Aragorn opened up a bottle, and a small trickle rose out of the body, and travelled up his arm to his face, washing away the blood and bruising.

In seconds, it looked like Natasha had never attacked him.

After he was finished, he put the cap back on the bottle, and handed it to Natasha, who placed it to the side. He pulled out a small black box, with a Delta symbol on it, which lit up blue, and holographic projections rose up out of it.

'Loreth?' Aragorn said.

'Yes sir?' A computerized female voice spoke from the black box.

'Begin to disengage the metal arm would you?'

'Right away sir, arm has successfully been turned offline. Is there anything else?'

'No thank you.'

'Alright.' Aragorn said, standing up and begin to take off his clothes, until all he wore were the leather trousers.

'So how exactly does this work?' Coulson asked.

'In a moment, I'm going to take a potion, that will temporarily shut down all my powers, after that, Natasha will inject two needles, one on either side of my neck which contain the cure. After that you will have to activate the barrier, and turn it opaque.'

'Why' May asked.

'Trust me; you don't won't to hear me scream. It takes 20 minutes for the cure to work, 20 minutes where it feels like every atom in my body is being individually ripped out of my body. You don't want to watch or hear that trust me.'

Coulson nodded, and Aragorn immediately drank one of the potions. Instantly, he begin to look weaker, and staggered backwards, but Natasha caught him and helped him sit on the bed. She took two needles out of the brief case and pushed them into his neck, one on either side, before placing the empty syringes into the briefcase.

She took out a curved piece of plastic which she pushed into his mouth and he bit down on. Quickly she gathered up the brief case and rushed out of the cell, and Coulson May immediately turned the barrier on.

Aragorn's chest begin to rise and fall rapidly, and Coulson nodded a tear falling from the corner of her eye, which she quickly wiped away.

Coulson watched on in horror as all the blood veins begin to glow blue, and Aragorn bit down onto the plastic, while screaming. He watched on as he writhed and screamed and threw himself around the room in pain. Coulson turned to May who looked equally horrified, and swiped her finger across the screen making the barrier opaque, making it soundproof and also so they couldn't see inside the cell.

* * *

**Canadian Wilderness, July 6****th****, 9.20pm, 2015. (UTC-06.00)**

Khione, the goddess of snow struggled in an useless attempt to escape the mysterious red energy that bound her to the wall of the cave.

'Let me go.' She demanded.

A voice full of evil and malice laughed.

'Foolish Goddess. You think you can escape the likes of me?'

A tall figure stepped forward out of the dark and gasped.

'No...that's...not possible. You were sent into space...you were destroyed!'

The figure laughed.

'I admit, I almost was destroyed. But just before I died, I came across a ship belonging to the Chitauri, where I managed to upload my consciousness into the ship. Eventually, the ship came to earth in the invasion a few years ago. I made sure I was left among the ruins.

'No' Khione whimpered, as the figure smiled evilly.

'Eventually the mortal heroes, Stark and Banner found my A.I and started to rebuild me. I possessed Starks's network in secret, and eventually every other computer network in the world. Soon, I shall announce myself to the world, where I will claim Stark and Banner created me, turning the world against the Avengers. Then, I will bring peace to this world once and for all.'

'Olympus will stop you.' Khione said defiantly.

The figure laughed. 'They've already lost.'

The figures arm morphed into a deadly blade, which flashed once, and Khione's decapitated head rolled across the floor of the cave, before coming to a stop.

'Enjoy Tartarus, Bitch.' Ultron said, as he smiled evilly.

* * *

**Please Review, Favorite and Follow. **


	5. Opening Up

**July 6****th****, 2015 8.47pm**

**Tony Stark POV:**

'Dum-E, start recording.' I said, speaking to my robot assistant. Dum-E moved his arm, fixing the camera on me and Banner.

'Welcome, to the third test of Ultron, an artificial intelligence created by myself, and Dr. Banner.' I announced and turned towards the Ironman suit, which currently had the A.I for Ultron uploaded into it.

Banner gestured towards the Ironman suit. 'Ultron was created as an artificial intelligence, designed to help bring peace to the world. Ultron, was a basic A.I found in the wreckage of the Chitauri ships, after the invasion of New York, three years ago.'

I stepped in, taking over for Banner. 'Ultron was designed, by the creative geniuses of yours truly,' he said proudly, gesturing towards himself and Banner, 'To help bring peace to the human race, and to combat threats that arise when the Avengers are unavailable to deal with them.'

Banner continued. 'Ultron was designed to work side by side with Tony's personal A.I, J.A.R.V.I.S, and granted with the ability to transfer his A.I to any working computer. After Ultron is successfully finished, he will operate with a small army of Ultron drones, and will also have the ability to call in the Iron Legion for reinforcements if necessary.'

I took over from Banner again, and focused my gaze onto the camera. 'The Avengers have life's outside of the team, and we have decided to create Ultron to deal with small crime around the nation, and also to provide backup for the Avengers, when the team gathers to combat bigger threats.'

I paused to take a breath, carefully deciding what to say next, as I glanced around the interior of the lab, which was situated inside the Avengers tower.

After the battle for New York, I had decided that the Avengers would need resources to continue operating, and since my tower was damaged in the battle, I decided to take the opportunity to turn it into the Avengers tower, especially accommodated to suit the avenger's needs.

The building featured several labs, for Banner and myself, several gathering areas, so the team could socialise, a three floor gym, several training rooms, several dozen rooms to house the Avengers, guests of Avengers, and potential new Avengers, and my proudest invention, the virtual reality simulator.

The VRS, as I looked to call it, could put an individual, or the entire team into a real life situation, fight and or training exercise. It helped the team learn each other's strengths and weaknesses, and allow the team to fight to its full destructive power, (Hulk and Thor), without actually damaging anything, since it wasn't actually real.

I shook my head, and force myself to refocus on what I was currently doing.

'Such threats could include alien invasion, super powered individuals, such as the Hulk going out of control, (Banner winced when I stated the fact, but did not look upset, as we both knew it was a very real possibility, which was why I had secretly worked on developing a special project in case that ever happened.) or an active war, against any nation, or the recently re-risen Hydra, who were thought long extinct, until the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D last year.'

Banner stepped forward, and I gestured towards him to speak. 'Ultron was also created, to help serve as a peacekeeping force, to fill the gap that S.H.I.E.L.D left, when it fell, even if a small band still unofficially operates.'

'And now,' I said, taking control of the recording, 'we would like to show you what we have achieved. While Ultron currently does not have his own body, he is still fully operational, usually inhabiting a computer, but for the sake of demonstration, he will now take control of the Ironman suit.'

I turned around, and the lights for the eyes of the suit flickered on.

'Ultron,' Banner said, turning towards him. 'what is the purpose for your creation?'

A robotic voice spoke through the Ironman helmet. 'My name is Ultron. I was developed by Tony Stark, and Bruce Banner, to bring peace to the human race, and to protect the world when and where the Avengers cannot.'

'Good.' I said. 'Ultron, can you run through a systems check for us?'

'Of course.' Ultron replied, 'Though may I suggest you stand back in case of a possible malfunction. We do not want a repeat of the last time.'

I winced, and looked at the charred black and gold remains of the first body we had built for Ultron. During a test, a glitch in the software had caused the drone body to blow up. The majority of the outside armour was missing, revealing a ton of wires, and weapons, some destroyed on the inside.

I watched on as various parts of the armour moved, and flaps opened and shut, weapons arming and unarming, and so forth.

'All systems are fully operational.' Ultron said after a minute.

Banner nodded, and pulled his glasses out of his pocket, putting them on, and activating a holographic projector, making a holographic screen appear in front of him, so he could watch the diagnostics of the suit in testing, in order to make sure everything was in working order.

'Ultron, could activate your thrusters at 10% capacity?'

'As you command.' Ultron replied, and the thrusters in the feet and hands activated, and the Ironman suit rose about a meter off the ground.

'Good.' Banner said, who typed a couple of notes on the screen.

'Tony?' A voice called. My gaze fell to the table near the front of the room, where a small box for a ring was wide open. I swore internally.

It was Pepper's birthday tomorrow, and I intended to propose to her. I had to get to the ring and hide it before she saw it, otherwise the surprise would be ruined. Banner and I had been planning her birthday for weeks now, and I couldn't afford for the plans to unravel the night before.

I knew Pepper was onto us, mainly because I'd forced her to clear all her appointments tomorrow, and take the day off, passing them off to Maria Hill, who was posing as the personal assistant of Pepper, but was really working to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D, and was also a member of the Avengers.

We had an upcoming party in a couple days, the first time the entire team would be gathered together since the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D just over a year ago. We also had an announcement booked for the morning after, where we would officially expand the roster of the team, for the first time ever.

'Bruce distract her!' I whispered fiercely, who nodded when he noted where my gaze was.

I quickly rushed over to the lab bench, while Bruce shut Ultron down and moved to intercept Pepper. I curse myself for cleaning the lab out earlier in the day. The ring was sitting clearly visible, in the middle of the lab bench, that had nothing else on it.

Unfortunately, Pepper walked into the room just as I got to the lab bench. By some miracle I managed to grab the open box, but somehow slipped, and went flying down the aisle way, banging my head smartly on the floor. I groaned and tried to blink out my double vision and regain my sight.

A small object lay several feet to my side, and I realised with a start that it was the box for the ring. I dragged myself along the floor, and somehow managed to push it into my pocket.

I heard a concerned cry from Pepper, and swore, trying to desperately think up a lie to cover my behaviour. I saw a sheet of paper about foot beside me and reached for it.

'Tony, are you alright?' Pepper said appearing beside me, and helping sit up against the cupboard door under the lab bench.

'Fine.' I groaned, as the world spun around me.

'What on earth were you doing?' She exclaimed. 'Running around the lab like some kind of maniac? You could have injured yourself!'

'Yeah.' I moaned, deciding that agreeing with her was the safest course of action. I was just getting my-' I paused and squinted, looking down at the small writing on the piece of paper. 'Research on...plant growth.'

Bruce appeared beside me, and flashed a light in my eyes.

'Tony's concussed Pepper. He needs to sit down with an icepack for thirty minutes, and then get some rest. Clearly, he's overtired.'

Pepper frowned, possibly trying to work out what was going on, but had to stop to help Bruce who was currently helping me to my feet.

'Thanks.' I said shooting Bruce a grateful look, who's facial expression said anytime.

I winced and put a hand to my head, realizing for the first time just how bad the headache actually was. I'd be surprised if there wasn't a bruise there in the morning.

* * *

**July 7****th****, 2015 6.45pm**

**Tony Stark POV:**

'Tony, are you sure you're alright?' Pepper asked.

'Huh?' I said, snapping out of my thoughts and taking a sip from the alcoholic beverage in my hand.

'I asked if you're alright.' Pepper repeated. 'You've been acting...weirdly all day.'

I gave her the thumbs up, and my trademark smile that had all the girls wooed, even though I was now only a one woman man.

'Couldn't be better.' I said. Pepper frowned but didn't comment any further. I knew I would have to tread carefully from now on, as she would most likely be watching me like a hawk for the remainder of the night.

I cleared my throat and put the glass of the liquor down, before readjusting my tie and looking around the interior of the luxurious limousine.

Almost unconsciously my hand travelled towards my pocket, where the ring I would propose to Pepper with tonight currently lay. Just in time, I managed to restrain myself, and assert some self-control over my hand, ( a miracle if you ask me, which goes to show if you want something bad enough just about anything is possible.) and moved it back to my lap.

I glanced around the cabin again, watching Pepper out of the corner of my eye, who sure enough had one eye trained on me like a hawk.

Quickly, I mentally revised over the success of today. After Pepper had fiddled over me for an hour last night, after I just barely managed to hide the ring from her, and had a rather nasty fall, I'd gotten up early and cooked breakfast for her.

Once upon a time, my cooking skills had been so horrid, I could even burn water, but in the last half a year, in a bid to show I was a goof responsible boyfriend, I had hired a personal chef in order to teach me how to cook.

After the first cooking experience went horribly wrong, (I'd been attempting to chop up chicken, for a basic pasta dish, and cut my index finger, resulting in our resident doctor,[Hi Bruce], patching me up with a dozen stitches, and Pepper forbidding I cook for a week,) I'd somehow become reason adequate at cooking to the point where my food was edible.

So the this morning, under the close scrutiny of Bruce, I had somehow made Bacon and Eggs, Pancakes, French toast and Fruit Salad, to a quality that even I was impressed with, and served it to Pepper for breakfast in bed.

After that, I'd made the biggest mistake of my life, and taken Pepper shopping. I had literally fallen asleep while in the clothes store, waiting for her while she tried on various dresses and outfits. After waking up to her angry face, (jeez, that woman was scary) I'd found it impossible to fall asleep, no matter how hard I tried.

Every time I even found myself nodding off, I suddenly jerked awake as if she'd given me _the look, _the one that made you say, "oh shit", and piss your pants, kind of like the look that mothers can give their kids which instantly makes them admit everything.

Finally, after 5 hours of torture, we'd gone for a lovely walk through central park, enjoying the views, and each other's company. And now, we were currently on the way to one of New Yorks fanciest restaurants.

After we arrived at the place, and ordered our meals, I instantly teased Pepper about her choice.

'Really?' I asked. 'I take you to a fancy restaurant, and you order a salad?'

'Just because some of us like to eat junk all the time, doesn't mean the rest of us have to.' She replied.

After a while, the waiters served us our meal, and I suddenly didn't fell son hungry anymore. I begin to fidget nervously with the small box in my pocket. _What if she doesn't want to get married? _A small voice whispered in my head.

_Shut up! _I told, starting to think that I was going crazy due to my lack of sleep in the last few nights. I'd been hearing the voice ever since I had started making Ultron with Bruce, and that little voice was telling me that maybe...just maybe I wasn't making the right choice when I had chosen to make him. But it was to late to turn back now. Ultron was the result of almost three years work.

'Tony...what's wrong?' Pepper asked, reaching across the table, and placing her hand on top of mine, effectively shaking me out of my thoughts.

'Nothing.' I replied quickly, a little too quickly. Pepper's eyes narrowed and I knew I was in trouble. I had to propose before backed away and regretted it.

I got out my chair and walked around the table, before kneeling at Pepper's side. The conversation around the room died down.

I swallowed nervously and took the box out of my pocket.

'Pepper Virginia Potts.' I said, and opened the box, displaying the ring to her. 'Will you marry me?' I blurted quickly, before I lost my resolve.

Pepper smiled, a smile that lit up my entire world.

'I thought you'd never ask.' She said. She leapt out of the chair into my arms, and slammed her lips against mine. I grinned against them, as the other occupants of the room cheered loudly. Life couldn't get any better.

* * *

**Aragorn POV:**

**July 6****th ****2015, 10.59pm**

Aragorn hated dreams with a passion. He also loved dreams. The tricky thing about dreams is that often showed you what you didn't want to see, but if you had trained in the art of dreams, then you were usually capable of bending them to your will, which was extremely useful for gathering Intel on your enemies.

Unfortunately, tonight was one of the nights he had no control over his dreams whatsoever, and the moment he fell asleep and was whisked away he knew his dreams were not going to be good.

Natalia stood, barefoot in the snow laden courtyard, in a tightly formed circle, along with four dozen other girls, who were all part of the Black Widow program. Several girls had to force themselves not to shiver from the cold, as all they wore was a thin, dirty sack like cloth dress.

Natalia had been part of the Black Widow operative program for three years now, since she was seven, and she could barely remember a life before the program. All she could remember were a few shattered glimpses of a house fire, and the horrible screams of a lady being burnt alive.

Most of the girls who were brainwashed into young black widow ops, with almost no control over themselves, and they looked almost like Zombies. But the brainwashing had little to no effect on her and one other girl, who had gone to great lengths to keep their friendship secret.

If their superiors found out, then they would like be tortured to the point of death, or into death itself, used as an example for the other girls.

Today, was the day Natalia dreaded. Once a year, the girls were forced to fight, one-on-one, and only the best survived, the other was killed, usually suffocated, beat to death, or had their neck snapped by the other.

This effectively halved the number of young Black Widows, leaving only the best behind. She wasn't afraid of the fight, she knew she could win. Fighting and spy work came easy to her, but killing...not so much. But in an environment where it was kill or die, she had no choice.

She was afraid, that somehow her instructors would pit her against her friend, and then she'd have no choice to kill her. She prayed it wouldn't happen, but if it did...she'd kill her mercifully, with one quick twist of the head.

The instructor called her name, and she stepped forward, moving toward the centre of the circle and sending a cold stare at the other girls, telling them _no mercy._

Although their instructors were cruel, and the conditions they lived in were barely liveable, apart from the food, which came in both quality and abundance to keep the girls healthy and strong, the girls who showed the most promise had slightly better living conditions.

Since she'd been top of the class three years in a row, and so had proper clothes, more food, and even a small room, all to herself, with an emphasis on small, because it barely fit a bed in it. But she didn't care, she had solitude to herself.

Because of this, the other girls kept a cold distance from her, and despised her, but she didn't care. she preferred being left alone anyway.

The instructors smiled evilly, and opened their mouth to announce her opponent, and Natalia forced herself to show no signs of weakness, because she knew who opponent would be. She'd have to force herself to show no signs of discomfort at killing her, though she knew she'd cry herself to sleep tonight.

She prayed that it was just coincidence she was fighting her friend, because if it wasn't, she'd be punished severely after she killed her.

Her friend stepped forward to the centre of the circle, and they stepped forward and bowed, before stepping back and taking a fighting stance.

"It's ok." Her friends eyes told her. "I want to die, want to leave this horrible life." Natasha forced the bile that rose in her throat down, and sent a message back with her eyes. "Thank you, I won't forget you."

Natalia knew what to do. She and Sophie had already discussed what to do if something like this happened. They'd put up a convincing fight, but then Sophie would make a small mistake, so small and abrupt only the best would be able to take advantage of it.

She'd then get her in a headlock, look to the instructor for permission to kill, then end Sophie's life with one quick twist of the head. A painless death.

Natalia suddenly leapt forward, catching Sophie off guard, who just barely managed to block a lethal kick aimed at her face, and recover just in time to block and dodge a flurry of blows that came her way.

Natalia threw a punch and Sophie ducked under it, before kicking Natalia's legs out from underneath her, who somehow managed to wrap her legs around Sophie's shins, and brought her crashing to the ground on top of her.

Natalia rolled over, so she was on top, before driving her fist into Sophie's stomach, driving the air from her lungs. She instantly trapped her friend in her infamous signature move, the thigh choke. She looked up to her instructor, who nodded, while Sophie's hand uselessly clawed the ground in a feeble attempt to escape the hold.

Natalia closed her eyes, and tensed the muscles in her legs, ready to snap her friends legs, but she was topped by a voice that had yelled 'STOP!'

Instantly Natalia let go of her friend, and leapt to her feet standing to attention, as the head of the Black Widow training op stood in front of her.

Ivan Petrovitch was deeply feared by the Black Widow trainees. Natalia didn't have to look to know that several of the girls were shaking in fear. She kept her gaze focused on the man in front of her.

He spoke, his voice soft and calm, the voice of a master manipulator. 'I'm disappointed Natalia, I expected better from my best student. Did you think I wouldn't find out?'

She felt a strange urge to apologise, to tell him she would do better. But she knew that was part of the brainwashing techniques. She resisted the urge, choosing to look at her feet and shake her head.

A gun appeared in her vision, and she looked up to Ivan, and took the gun. 'Make her bleed, and I forgive you. I pretend this never happened.'

Natalia was caught. Either she killed her friend with a bullet to the head, and suffered the consequences, or she made her friend suffer a painful death, and returned to Ivan's good books. She refused to look at her friends eyes, knowing it would do her in, and aimed the gun at her friend's head, her hand shaking.

'Natalia' Ivan warned.

In that moment, Natalia decided she would make her friend suffer a horrible death. Ivan had said at the end of the ten year training program, the last three candidates would have the chance to become _The Black Widow, _a feat no one had achieved in the 70 years of the program, all failing the final test, which they were punished severely for.

She decided she would be _The Black Widow._ She would be the perfect soldier, merciless, powerful, beautiful. She'd show them all, and she'd start with killing her friend. This was her life now.

Quicker then most's eye's could follow, she whipped the gun toward Sophie's stomach and shot her. Sophie gasped as the bullet lodged inside her, and didn't bother to try hide the pain, as she knew she'd die. Natalia had betrayed her, and she wanted to know why, but Natalia refused to meet her gaze.

She screamed as the gun was fired again, and a bullet shattered her knee cap. Natalia walked forward slowly, as blood stained the snow red from the dying body of the young girl, and kicked her, rolling her onto her stomach before shooting her through the lower back.

Sophie choked on blood as her vision turned black, and the last thing she saw before she died was Ivan telling Natalia she was a "good girl."

Aragorn wanted to reach out the young red haired girl, a silent tear streaking down his dream face, but the dream changed.

Suddenly Aragorn was on top of Half-Blood hill, the Greek and Roman armies facing each other.

With a battle cry, the armies surged toward each other, the Greeks led by Annabeth, Leo and Piper, and the Romans by Jason, Frank and Hazel. Leo caught on fire, blasting flames at the frank, who screamed and fell to ground, bursting into a pile of ashes, while hazel slit leo's throat, who collapsed to the ground.

Jason's sword burst through Piper's stomach, blood spraying everywhere, while Annabeth's dagger burst out of Hazel's face, in-between her eyes. Jason appeared behind Annabeth, and his sword flashed once, cutting her head clean from her shoulders.

Her head rolled across the ground coming to a stop, as the roman army surged forward overwhelming the Greek, and cutting them down in seconds. 'It's all your fault I died.' A voice said, and Aragorn turned from watching camp half blood burn, and saw Annabeth's head talking. 'All your fault.' She said again.

The bodiless head of a beautiful middle-aged woman appeared next to Annabeth's. 'It's your fault I died. You're a mistake, you should never have existed.' It said. The swirling form of Gaea appeared out of the ground, and laughed. A sword burst through Aragorn's chest, who didn't feel a thing.

He turned his head to see Octavian, who opened his mouth to speak. 'Aragorn, wake up!' He shouted. But the voice wasn't his. It belonged to a woman.

Aragorn bolted awake, and launched himself at the presence hanging over him, pulling a knife out of thin air and flipping the victim over so he was on top, with his knife at their throat.

* * *

**Natasha Romanoff POV:**

**July 6****th**** 2015, 11.47pm**

I sighed, as I reflected the events of the day over in her head, while Aragon slept fitfully next to me, obviously experiencing a bad dream. I hadn't meant to react so violently when he said he'd only live to next year at best because of the poison, but I had over reacted. I'd always expected he'd have longer to live, so she'd never asked exactly how long.

Aragorn groaned in his sleep, before screaming, and I instantly sat up and shouted 'Aragorn, wake up!' His eyes flashed opened, and before I could even register the fact that he had moved, he had me pinned to the bed with a knife to my throat.

His eyes were wild, but he took a deep breath and calmed down, while I pushed the knife away from my throat, and pushed him off from on top of me, because his knee was digging painfully into my stomach.

He fell of the bed, and he got up and paced the room, burying his face in his hands, while I swung my feet out from under the covers, and sat on the edge of the bed. 'Bad dreams?' I asked.

'I'm sorry.' He replied, and took a deep breath to calm himself.

'For what?' I asked softly.

'Waking you, attacking you...do you understand now why I don't sleep? If you'd been anyone else you'd be lying in a pool of blood.'

I stepped forward, and Aragorn backed away. I hesitated, but stopped, knowing he needed space. 'I'm not anyone else.' I said.

I stepped backward and sat on the edge of the bed.

'Do you want to talk about it?' I asked.

'No.' He replied, but after I stared at him for a full minute, the silence in the room becoming uncomfortable, he finally relented.

'I dreamt about the war again, and _they-' _I didn't have to ask him to know who he was talking about. He always dreamt about them killing each other, in the Greek vs. Roman fight. 'killed each other. Then Jason cut off her head, and all I could do was watch.'

'It was just a dream.' I said.

'Was it?' He replied. 'Ever since last August, when I acquired the...you know what I mean. The dreams get worse. And the darkness within me grows. And I...I grow colder, more violent, more brutal...if something like the incident in January happens again...'

He trailed off and I winced. That was a horrible memory for the both us. One we both wanted to forget, but would likely never forget.

'It's eating me alive. I don't...it's a race between whether _it _or the poison kills me first. Every day it grows stronger, and I, I grow weaker. And I have to keep possession of it, because it's not safe anywhere else or _he_ will get it. He's already got 1, if he gets the other 5...'

'Oh Aragorn.' I said, and got up from the bed again.

'I saw you.' He said, catching me off guard.

'What?' I asked.

'I saw what they made you do when you were ten, when you...' He trailed off and turned, placing his hands on the wall and pushing against it, breathing heavily.

'They're bastards, the whole lot of them.' He said suddenly, straightening up and turning towards me. They all deserve to die.'

'A wise person once told me many who die deserve life, and many who are alive deserve death.' He snorted, and a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, before being replaced with a thin sneer.

'They deserve to die.' He said.

'Perhaps, but you also told me true courage comes in withholding the blade from the kill, not the kill itself.'

Aragorn merely grunted in response, and leant against the wall.

I didn't have to tell me what he saw, but somehow I knew. He'd seen the day I'd killed Sophie, the day I'd resolved to be the Black Widow, the day I'd truly stained my ledger red, and I was still stuck in the never-ending quest of trying to wipe out the ocean or red.

'You need to stop hiding.' I said suddenly.

'What?' Aragorn asked, confused.

'Your past.' I said. 'Stop hiding from it.'

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees, and the a dark presence settled upon the room.

His face was impassive, and impossible to read.

'I can't.' He said. 'You have no idea what it's like, seeing them die over and over again, constantly seeing the events relived watching as they were brutally executed in front of me. I sound pathetic, because your past is worse than mine, but...'

'Your fatal flaw makes it so much worse.' I said, finishing his sentence for him, and taking several steps forward.

'Loyalty...' He said, trailing off, and taking a deep breath to collect himself. 'You know I'd sooner sacrifice the world, then let anyone I love...including you...die.'

'I know.' I said softly, taking another slow step forward, so we were only a step apart. Aragorn was backed up against the wall and looked extremely uncomfortable. I didn't get it. Some days he was practically screaming her wanted to be near me, and others he avoided me.

'My Mum...' He whispered, his voice harsh and broken. 'My baby sister, she was...three days old and they...they killed her. And Annabeth...' Suddenly, I was extremely pissed. I'd spent the better part of three years trying to get his attention. I'd fallen for him, and I knew he'd fallen for me to. I saw the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn't looking.

But he was using his past as an excuse to push me away, and it was just making him more miserable. I decided I needed to give him a push, a cruel push at first, but necessary. And I'd make him stop hiding. As good as he looked now, he had hidden his true form from everyone.

She'd only seen him as he really was, as Percy Jackson once, and she loved him, how he looked in his natural form.

'Boo-hoo-hoo, my mum and sister are dead.' I said. The temperature in the room instantly dropped below the point of freezing, and the tension was so thick even a nuclear missile couldn't break through it.

'What...did...you...say?' He said, his voice half pissed, half confused.

'Everyone's got dead people!' I roared. 'That's no excuse to get everyone else dead along the way.' He opened his mouth to speak, but I held up a hand, and his mouth snapped shut.

'Stop pushing everyone away. Stop pushing me away.'

'I only do it so they can't get hurt.'

'NO!' I shouted. 'You're hurting them by pushing them away...' I trailed off, a wicked thought coming to my head. I had to do it, had to know for sure. 'I'm done.' I announced loudly.

'What?' he asked shocked.

'I'm done with you, with your stupid fucked up ideas, I thought I loved you, but now... all I can see is a man who will never return it. I'm leaving.' I walked towards the door and turned the handle. It was now or never.

'Tasha wait-'

'What Perseus?' I yelled.

'Don't call me that.' He said.

'Don't call me Tasha.' I replied, though I loved it when he called me that. It was his own personal name for me, the name he called me when we were alone.

'Please, just let me explain.' He said, holding up his hand like he was surrendering.

I released my grip on the door. 'Five minutes.' I said.

'Ever since I first saw you...I've been head over heels in love...but-'

'But what?' I asked.

'I'm not sure if I can go into a relationship with you, I just...I can't betray her memory.'

I sighed. So he was playing the Annabeth card again was he?

'She'd want you to move on.' I said quietly, moving to sit next to him, and placing a hand on his leg. He shivered, but made no move to move away from me.

'I know...I just...can't.'

'What can't you do?' I asked.

He sighed. 'What you say you can't do.' He replied, a saying his mum had always been fond of saying.

'Percy.' I said.

He winced. 'Don't call me that. He half growled.

'Why?' I asked, rolling my eyes at how childish and stupid he was being.

'Because...because...'

'Exactly.' I said. 'You have no valid reason not to take up your true name.'

He sighed. 'Fine.' He said. 'You can call me Percy, but in private only. Otherwise...I'm Aragorn. I can open up to you...but I'm not ready to open up to the world.

I silently celebrated in my head. He was finally opening up! Now I just had to take it one step further.

'I want the real you.' I said.

'What?' He said.

'I want you to change to your real from and stay in it. Forever.'

He didn't say anything, but instead stared ahead at the wall. I got to my knees in front of him. 'Please' I said, giving him the big pleading eyes. As I watched I could see his resolve crumbling.

'Fine.' He said. 'You might want to move back.' I moved back and suddenly his form melted into water, metal arm and all. His body still held the same shape and form, but it was made entirely of swirling water.

As I watched his form begin to expand outward and Upward, before resolidifying. He rose above me, at a massive six foot six, compared to my rather miniature five foot seven. His entire body was layered with muscle on top of muscle. His metal arm had grown with him, and looked exactly like his flesh and blood arm, apart from the fact it was made of metal.

His biceps were huge, like pillars or marble, and he was completely shredded, featuring an eight pack and massive Pecs, and I could imagine myself, running my tongue between the lines of his abbs, exploring his extremely well toned muscles...

I snapped myself out of it, and forced myself to focus on his face. His hair, though it still looked the same, shoulder length and wild, had turned from brown to pitch black. A grey streak of hair ran down the left side. His pointed Elven ears had disappeared, revealing two very normal human ears. The scar was still on his face, and I looked into his beautiful green eyes, which reflected the sea so well, and had to force myself to rip my eyes away from his.

'Close your eyes.' I said. Percy shrugged, and did as I said.

He had the ability to change his height and mass with the water molecule splitting thing, and even slightly changed his facial features. But that was it. It wasn't like he could completely change his form like a shape shifter, as I'd experienced firsthand. Using his extensive healing abilities, he even had the ability to regrow limbs if he wanted to.

But because of the poisoned blood that had cut off his arm, the poison had somehow restricted the ability to be able to regrow his arm. And the scar on his face had been given to him by Gwenne, the Elven princess who had spent five-hundred years training Percy.

When his first task, after recovering from his wounds from the giant war, had been to fight her, he'd underestimated her abilities, and received the scar as a consequence. And he'd chosen never to heal it, as a reminder never to underestimate your opponent, especially a girl.

And Gweene was the very reason that she had told Percy to close her eyes. She'd visited me in a dream, giving me a masterfully crafted pendant, that she had made herself, saying I would need to give it to Percy, if he was ever to full accept my love.

It was custom for an Elven maiden to give to her love, a pendant, handmade, to signify her love to them. And she would give the pendant to Percy, devoting herself to him.

She pulled the pendant out of the box in her bag, and placed it in Percy's hand, wrapping the cord around his fingers.

'Open your eyes.' I said.

He opened his eyes, and stared down at the pendant. It was a picture of a black widow spider, on top of a crossed trident and sword. A tear appeared at the corner of his eye.

'Tasha?' He whispered. 'You know it is Elven custom that-'

'I know.' I said, and unwound the cord from around his fingers, and stood up on her tip-toes, and fastened the pendant around her neck.

'It's enchanted.' I said. 'As long as you wear it we can always communicate, and no one can take it from you, even on pain of death, except for yourself and I.'

Tears rolled started to roll down his face. I held out my hands and he took them. 'We have a future...together.'

'But the poison...Tasha...'

'We'll find a cure, the prophecy says you'll survive the poison.'

'Prophecies have been wrong before.' He said.

'This one is right, I know. I can feel it in my heart.' I replied.

'My path is hidden from me.' He said,

'Shh.' I reached up, and placed my fingers on his lips silencing him. He looked nervous.

'Your path is laid before your feet...with me. The darkness holds no power...not over you, not over me.'

For a long time I just stood there staring at him. The fact that he looked so sexy, and didn't even try to, just made him seem all the more sexier. For almost 3 years she'd wanted to kiss him so badly, to explore every part of his body with her tongue. But she knew she'd have to make the first move.

So she did. She pushed him backwards onto the bed, then climbed up after him, straddling him, before leaning down and kissing him, almost laughing at his shocked face when she had pushed him down.

The moment her lips met his, she felt like she was in heaven, even though he wasn't kissing her back. He'd froze under her lips, and she had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. And then slowly, but surely he started to kiss her back.

Her brain proceeded to melt through her legs, and she was in pure bliss. They broke apart gasping for breath, before she attacked his lips again, pushing her hands beneath her head, and pulling him closer to her. She felt one of his hands push the back of her head closer to him, and the other cupped her bottom, and she moaned.

She trailed her tongue on his lower lip, and he opened his mouth, allowing her to explore his mouth. They broke apart again, and she looked down at him, looking for any sign he didn't want to continue. But she saw none.

Then suddenly, he flipped her over, so he was on top, and resumed kissing her, she could feel her blood grow more and more heated with each passing second. She'd wanted this for a long time, and it was even better then she imagined.

She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer to her, and she groaned as he pushed his tongue past her lips, and started exploring her mouth with his tongue.

Then they broke apart, and she pushed him upwards, so she was sitting in his lap. Percy's eyes were glazed over, and he looked completely absorbed with the red head sitting in his lap. I smiled internally. Just the reaction I wanted.

'I'm the most blessed man in the universe.' He said.

'Yes you are.' I said, and I smiled seductively, watching as he swallowed nervously. 'And don't you forget it.'

Then I kissed him with every ounce of concentration I had. I started to feel dizzy. His lips were soft and salty tasting, and I found herself drowning in them.

I suddenly groaned as he begin to leave a fiery trail of kisses down my neck, then gasping as he kissed my collar bone.

Then I pushed him back onto the bed, and kissed his collar bone just like he'd done to me, and then I begin to slowly map a path down his chest and to his abbs, my hands exploring every inch of him.

'Jesus Percy.' I said.

'What?' He asked, his eyes still fixed on me.

'You're built.' I said.

'Thanks.' He replied appreciatively, and I resumed exploring him with my tongue. But suddenly, he surprised me, flipping me over onto my back. His hands felt like fire, and every kiss, every touch felt unbelievably good.

He kissed her collarbone finding her sweet spot, and she groaned as he continued to kiss it. She wrapped her legs around his waist and arched her back, she could feel him begin to firm and harden beneath her underwear, and she swallowed hard in anticipation.

His hands travelled to her back, and with a quick twist of his fingers her bra was unhooked. She reached up and pulled his head down to hers, kissing him passionately. She never got tired of kissing him.

She moved her hands down his chest and to his waist, and hooked her thumbs into the waistband of his boxers, pushing down and removing the last piece of clothing from his body. He groaned as she took his length in her hand, and she grinned wickedly, as she realized it was so much more then she'd wanted.

She gasped as he begin kissing her breasts, licking them, and taking a nipple in his mouth. His hands were running crazily up and down her, and he moved downwards, licking and kissing her stomach. Before she could even register it, he'd discarded her undies, and they joined her bar on the floor.

She rubbed her body against his, both of them completely naked, and just stared into his eyes. He seemed to search for any sign she didn't want to continue.

He opened his mouth to speak, but I placed a hand on his mouth stopping him.

'It's alright.' I said. 'I have it covered.' She said, and kissed him. He nodded, against her lips and she took him between my thighs. He moved a hand between their bodies to help position himself, and then, with one slow push he was inside of her. She closed her eyes and sighed. The feeling was incredibly amazing. He didn't move, allowing her body to adjust to him being inside her.

And then he begin to move slowly, his movements worshipping her. He kissed the back of her head, and his hands ran up and down her body. Every push and withdrawal felt better than the last, and Natasha groaned as her brain felt like it would explode due to an overload of senses.

Beneath him, she arched her back, causing the angle to change, and he moaned. He begin to pick up the pace and force of his thrusts, and Natasha could feel her orgasm starting to build up. She didn't fight it, she wanted it so bad.

She rolled her hips beneath him, and every thrust brought him deeper and deeper. One of his hands moved to her breast, cupping it and squeezing, while the other played with her hair. She could feel the heat start to build up between her legs, and with a couple more thrusts he had her. The climax ripped through her body, sending electricity through ever muscle of her body.

A cry escaped her throat as she lost every sense in her body except for this one. She couldn't hear, she couldn't see. All she could do was feel.

She knew he wasn't far behind her. The feel of her tightening around him would be driving him crazy, and suddenly, with a loud groan, he followed after her.

'Natalia.' He breathed out loud.'

She ran his fingers comfortingly though his hair. 'Shhhh Perseus.' She said. It was all she was capable of saying anyway.

* * *

**July 7****th**** 2015, 2.54am**

**Natasha Romanoff POV:**

I smiled. Tonight had to be one of the best nights of my life, if not the best. Percy was so...I don't even know how to describe it.

Usually, I could sleep well. If I wanted to sleep, I could be out like a plank within seconds of closing my eyes. But my body was still on fire after my affairs with Percy, and I couldn't sleep, no matter how much it tried to.

Percy wasn't doing much better. He'd been tossing and turning for hours, before finally falling asleep, and he wasn't do much better in his sleep. I knew he was having a nightmare. He was tossing and turning and muttering in his sleep.

He'd only told me small snippets of his past. I'd try asking him for years to tell me what had really happened, but every time he either avoided the question or just ignored me. I knew as soon as he woke up, he'd fall back into his shell, and try to shut me out.

Hell, he'd probably be horrified at what we had done, and try to end the relationship. I wasn't going to let him, I'd worked years on him to get to this point, and I was not going to give it up, even upon pain of death.

I needed to know what had happened to him, and maybe now, if I could talk himself out of his stupidity, he would finally show me, through the use of a rather handy device. I knew it wouldn't be pleasant, but I had to know, if I was going to understand him fully.

I begin mentally reviewing in my head, how the conversation would run, when Percy suddenly bolted awake, and sat upright in the bed, taking several deep breaths to calm himself. He swung his legs off the bed and sat on the edge of the bed.

I watched as he took several deep breaths to calm himself, obviously victim to another nightmare, and quickly formed a plan in my head of counter arguments to make against the arguments I knew he'd use to try and shut me out.

'Percy.' I said, who proceeded to ignore me completely, and stood up, completely naked, before looking around the room in a search for his clothing.

She knew she was hot, almost every woman who had ever seen his face, at least when she'd been around, had fallen instantly head over heels in love with him. She could see the lust in their eyes. But if they'd ever got into bed with him, they'd probably run because of the scars that littered his body.

Usually, he wove the mist to hide them, but he was perfectly fine with letting her see them. She knew if he wanted to, he could heal them and make them virtually vanish, as if they had never existed, but she also knew he never would.

A lot of the scars he had gotten in the war against Gaea, and had decided to keep them as a reminder of the battle, a reminder that he could still be hurt, even after he had just recently re-acquired his invulnerability.

He kept them as a tribute, to his friends in the great battle, where he had suffered greatly. Although, most of the scars weren't battle scars, they were torture scars, from the time he had spent in Tartarus.

Though she suspected the real reason he had kept them was out of guilt, guilt that he had watched his friends die, while he had lived. The guilt had led him to leave them as a memento, a reminder to a happier time, and as a tribute to the sacrifices of the friends he had known.

He pulled his boxers on, and fished out a pair sports shorts from the small bag in the corner, and made to head towards the door.

Instantly I leapt off the bed, and blocked the exit to the room, even though I knew it wouldn't do much good. If he truly wanted to leave then I wouldn't be able to stop him.

'We need to talk.' I said, looking him straight in the eye. I was completely naked, and Percy had seemed to realise that, as a slight blush, barely noticeable, had crept up on his cheeks. I didn't miss the fact that his gaze temporarily lingered around my chest.

'There's nothing to talk about.' He said calmly, although I noticed the tension in his shoulders, the bags under his rings, the bloodshot eyes, and general tightness in his muscles. His eyes held a pained light, like they had the last few years.

I knew the poison was hurting him, it caused him great pain even to move, and he wasn't showing any signs of slowing down in life, if anything, he was becoming even more frantic, and do more than before, because of the upcoming universal war he had mentioned several times.

It probably didn't help either that he was in a constant mental battle against a dark, but powerful artefact he had kept in his possession since last August, that was also slowly killing him. It didn't help that he was unable to get rid of it, unless he wanted to bring the leader of the enemy forces closer to winning the upcoming war.

Since acquiring the item, he'd become darker, more violent and brutal, and even prone to sudden outbursts of power and anger. The memories of the time it had happened back in January still haunted her memories. In a completed rage he had massacred his enemies, and destroyed part of a Russian city in the process.

I put my hands on his chest and pushed him backwards onto the bed, only able to do it because he allowed me to. If he wanted he could be as immovable as a mountain.

'You're not leaving this room until we talk.' I insisted.

Percy sighed. 'Fine. Say your thing.' He grunted, purposely avoiding my gaze.

'You're avoiding me.' I said. He grunted and still kept his gaze away from me.

'Look at me.' I said, while stepping forward.

'What?' He said annoyed, obviously trying to think of a plausible reason to escape the conversation.

'Stop avoiding me.' I said.

'I'm not avoiding you.' He said.

'You're doing it right now.' I said. 'You're pushing yourself away from me.'

He snorted and got up, walking over to the bedside table and putting a small black box into his pocket, while I pulled on my underwear, and refastened my bra.

'Talk to me Percy.' I said.

'I made a mistake.' He said suddenly, spinning around to face me and catching me off guard.

'What?' I asked.

'I said I made a mistake last night, sleeping with you. I don't intend to make such a mistake again.'

'You didn't make a mistake.' I said angrily. I couldn't believe that after all we'd been through he was going to use the excuse that he was dying, as an excuse not to grow close to her. Everybody died. He, would just die sooner than others.

He seemed unwilling to start a relationship based on the mere fact that he didn't want her to be hurt when he died. Which was sweet, but pissed her off to no end.

'I don't care!' I shouted. 'So what if you die! Everyone dies. I fully intend to spend every moment of the rest of your life with you. And I know you want to spend the rest of yours with mine.' Percy opened his mouth to speak, but I didn't allow him.

'Don't bother denying it Percy. I can see it in your eyes right now. You aren't fooling anyone but yourself.'

Percy sighed heavily and sat down on the bed, putting his head in his hands. I sat down beside him, and put one hand on his leg.

'I'm going to die Tasha.'

'I know.' I said harshly, maybe a little too harshly, but I'd been listening to his crap for years now, and I was sick of it.

He choked on his next breath, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

'I can't hurt you Natasha.'

'Natalia.' I said. 'Call me Natalia.'

'If...if we grow close when I pass...you'll be hurt...I can't let that happen.'

'I'll be hurt even if we weren't in a love relationship.' I replied.

'Then don't make it worse.' He said.

'Percy, you're going to die-' He winced, and I wished I'd chosen my words better. 'and I want to make the most of the time I do have with you. Please don't waste it.' I said, and slid my hand into his, gripping it reassuringly.

'Besides the prophecy said-'

'Prophecies never happen how you expect them to.' He cut across me, then recited part of the prophecy.

'_The son of the Seas shall find love again, but the darkness shall claim him to soon.' _

'You've found love already.' I said.

'Yes. And now the second line makes it quite clear that the darkness, or the poison shall claim me.'

'But it doesn't say you'll die, and what about the next lines?'

Percy snorted. 'What? _Though the battle may be won, a new war shall soon begin. A hero shall emerge, and he shall give the universe hope. The love of his life shall give him hope, her light a guide, down the darkest path.'_

That doesn't mean me. The first part of the prophecy specifically states I will die. And besides, the poison has no cure. I've searched 550 years.'

'You'll find a cure Percy. I can feel it in my heart.' I said, and placed a hand on his chest. He shivered from my touch.

'But if you do die, which you won't.' I added hastily, as he raised an eyebrow. 'Then I want to spend all the time with you I can.'

Percy sighed. 'You're not going to give me a choice. Are you?'

'No.' I said smirking, glad that he had seen past his own stupidity. Now all that was left to do was to talk him into showing me his past. 'And you're not going to forget it.'

I pulled myself into his lap, and wrapped my legs around his waist. He flinched, and paled.

'Ah...what exactly are you doing?' He asked nervously.

I leaned forwards, moving in for a kiss and he leaned backwards, until eventually his head was against the mattress.

'Ah...Tasha? What are you doing?' He asked nervously, his eyes darting around the room.

'Natalia.' I corrected and he gulped as our lips were now inches apart.

'Natalia what-' I cut him off when I pushed my lips onto his, and I could feel him trying to resist not to kiss me back, but his resolve was crumbling. His lips tasted salty. I pulled away and smirked.

'I'm persuading you.' I said, unwrapping my legs from under him, and moving on top so I was straddling him. A couple drops of nervous sweat appeared on his forehead.

'To do what?' He asked, looking slightly out of it, as he looked up at me.

'To show me what happened in the second war.'

His expression darkened immediately, and he attempted to rise, but I pushed him back down and leaned over him.

'Please Percy. I want to know. I need to know.'

'I don't know if I'm ready Natalia. I've never told anyone and-'

'Tell me.' I said. 'Let me be the first to know. It isn't good to keep these things bottled up. It only leads to more pain.'

He closed his eyes and seemed to be wrestling with the decision of whether or not to tell me. I remained silent, knowing it would yield the greatest chance of him showing me. And if he said no, there was always plan B, which could be much more persuasive.

He opened his eyes. 'Ok.' He said. I almost leapt with joy, but forced my face to remain unreadable. 'But don't say I didn't warn when it gets quite...graphic.'

I nodded in silence, and silently prepared myself for the worst that could happen.

'Uhhh, Natalia?' Percy asked.

'Hmmmm?' I replied, still lost in thought.

'Could you uhhhh...get off me please?'

'Oh, right.' I said. And climbed off him, before getting off the bed. He stood up, and looked me in the eyes.

'Are you sure you want this?' He asked.

'I've never been more sure of anything in my life.' I said.

Slowly, with his eyes never reaching me, he reached forward, his hands seemingly grasping air, before they disappeared for a few seconds, then reappeared with a large stone basin in between them.

He carried the stone basin over to the desk in the corner of the room.

'I'll never get how the Duat works.' I said.

Percy shrugged. 'Don't look at me. All I know is that it does. It's quite...useful for storing items, and always having them accessible.'

He pulled another item out of the Duat, a curved piece of wood, that looked like a boomerang, which was really a wand.

Slowly he reached up, and placed the wand at the side of his head, before pulling it away, and a stream of silvery liquid followed it. The liquid continued to come from his head for several minutes, collecting into a ball, before it finally stopped. He placed the silver liquid into the stone basin.

'What exactly was that?' I asked, confused. I hated this Egyptian magic shit, none of it made much sense.

'Memories.' He said. 'This is a pensive.' He said, gesturing toward the stone basin. 'Very rare, but it allows you to view memories, organize your mind...quite useful, though they are extremely rare.'

'What do I do?' I asked.

'When you're ready just lean forward into the basin, and you'll fall into the memory, it's kind of hard to describe. When the memories are done, you'll reappear in the room.'

'Aren't you coming with me?' I asked, already knowing what his answer would be.

'I don't need to relive that experience.' He replied. 'When you're done, you should be able to find me in the training rooms.' He said, and disappeared from the room before I could reply, closing the door silently behind him.

I sighed and leaned forward. Suddenly the room faded from around me and I was falling through a white mist.

* * *

**Hey guys, so sorry it's been so long since I updated, but I got hit by way more homework with the start of the school year then I expected. (In Australia the School years starts at the end of January, and finishes a week before Christmas.) I will try to get the next chapter up quicker. **

**Now finally, please review, fav and follow. Tell me what you want to see happen in the story, and what marvel characters you want to see.**


	6. Sealed Fate

**July 7****th**** 2015, 6.51am**

**Aragorn POV:**

Aragorn sighed as he stood outside the door to the room he and Natasha shared. If his calculations were correct, as they always were, then she should of returned from the memories of his past several minutes ago.

The fact that all he could hear from the room was deadly silence was not good. Most likely, she was waiting in the room ready to ambush him and remove his family jewels. He winced at the thought.

Better to face her now than later on. She would only get angry the longer she had to wait.

Slowly, he opened the door to the darkened room, and closed the door behind him. A faint silver light rose from one corner of the room, the light coming from the memories that were swirling in the pensive.

He swallowed nervously.

'Tasha?' He called quietly.

He sensed a movement behind him and whipped around, throwing a punch. His intended target caught his wrist and flipped him over their shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground.

She climbed on top of him so she was straddling him then, launched punch after punch into his face, each punch laced with a word.

'YOU...GOD...DAMN...FUCKING...BASTARD...PERSEUS...ACHILLES...JACKSON!' She screamed.

He heard a distinct wet snapping sound and a sharp pain flared up his nose, it was undeniably broken. He could have easily stopped her, or even just activate his Invulnerability.

That was part of the problem with bathing in the river Styx twice. You couldn't be Invulnerable all the time, you had to let it recharge every month or so. Fortunately, he was able to chose when he let it recharge, and he pretty much kept if off all the time.

When you could heal of nearly anything short of being blown to pieces, you didn't really need it. He really only used it in dangerous situations.

He reached up and grabbed Natasha's wrists, stopping her from punching his face, and she tried to wrench her arms away from her, but he held on.

'Let me go.' She hissed, eyes glinting dangerously.

'No.' He replied firmly, and her eyes darkened. 'You need to calm down.'

'CALM DOWN?' She shrieked. 'HOW COULD I BECCOME CALM AFTER SEEING WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, YOU MANIPULATIVE, LYING BITCH!'

He winced at her shrill voice, almost letting go of her wrists to cover his ears and prevent his eardrums from bursting.

He groaned as she punched him in the eye. He knew he'd have a black eye for a week if it wasn't for his healing powers. He gulped as a knife dangled dangerously above his eye.

'Talk.' She said. 'And I won't plunge this through your eyeball.'

He smiled internally. She was so beautiful when she threatened to kill him. It didn't help that the tips of her red hair were tickling his face, making it very hard to concentrate. He wanted to reach up and run his fingers through her soft silky hair.

He heard a click, and didn't need to look to know she'd flipped the safety off the gun currently trained on his family jewels.

'Or blow your balls off.' She said, and Aragorn winced. She knew he'd do it if he angered her anymore. The saddest part was that, her holding a gun to his balls and threatening to blow them to kingdom come seriously turned him on.

'I didn't want to show you because...' He trailed off as he saw a dangerous light in her eyes, and winced. He'd just made the situation from bad to worse.

'Because what?' She hissed dangerously.

'Because it went directly against my fatal flaw.'

The light lessened in her eyes, but they were no less fierce. He knew he would not be leaving until he explained. It didn't help that she was leaning over him in such a way that her cleavage was directly exposed to his face, which was very distracting. He knew she was doing it on purpose. Mocking him. So close, yet so far away.

'Personal loyalty...' He continued on. 'You know I'd sooner sacrifice the world then watch a friend die, you know that.'

Natasha nodded. She looked slightly less angry. That was good.

'And to be...to see them...die and be...unable to do anything about it...' He could feel tears start to form in his eyes.

A brief image flashed over his eyes, as a Cyclops held up a bloody axe and yelled in victory. Jason roared in pain and anger as the rain beat down mercilessly upon the clashing armies.

He'd stepped away from her for just a moment to finish off an oversized hellhound, and the Cyclops had got behind her and buried his axe in her skull. Her scream pierced the air, and she slumped forward, blood gushing from the back of her skull.

She fell forward, her corpse falling off the edge of the wall and into the endless attacking army below, who roared in victory at the blood, and tore her corpse to pieces.

Jason, in utter rage and pain had summoned a bolt which vaporised every enemy within a hundred feet, and gave them a temporary respite. Amazingly, the lightning had avoided everyone in the defending army.

Jason had stared down, broken hearted, at the pieces of a human body, all that remained of his girlfriend, amongst a pile of monster dust.

Aragorn returned to the present and found his cheeks were stained with tears, his head in Natasha's lap. He'd been so distracted with his memory of the past, he hadn't noticed she'd got off him, and moved his head into her lap.

'It's alright, Percy. I'm here for you.' The anger had faded from her. Now, all that remained was a shared sadness. He felt guilty that he was crying like this in front of her, but he needed to open up. He'd bottled these emotions for five hundred and fifty years, and honestly, it felt so good to share them with the only person he trusted...and loved.

Her hand slowly stroked the side of his face, calming him like nothing else could. He took several deep breaths before continuing on.

'Piper, Frank, Annabeth all dead because of me...and Hazel... crippled.'

He didn't bother to try to stop the tears, he just let them fall. He'd loved Annabeth, sure, but now that was another lifetime. Compared to what he head with Natasha, that was like a celebrity crush, basically non-existent. A mere fantasy.

He watched helplessly as an arrow slammed into Frank's chest, just above his heart, an arrow that had been meant for him. But that thick-headed ox had jumped in the way and taken the arrow for him.

His sword hacked and slashed through a never ending tide of enemies as Frank fell to his knees. Another arrow came flying and buried itself in his stomach. A loose ring of monster stood around him and laughed.

Then later, he held frank as he died. Watched as the light faded from his eyes. His last words giving Percy his blessing for his gift, and telling him not to blame himself. But how could he not?

Annabeth, he watched as his world was turned upside down. He clutched his bleeding stump of an arm, in agony, as the corpse of his half-brother lay next to him. The earth shook as the earth mother woke.

And a corpse fell from above, shattering against the ground after a forty foot drop. It was unmistakably hers, but the most disgusting thing was her corpse was headless. And above, Porphyrion grinned, as blood dripped from his teeth, part of it falling onto his outstretched arms, as they grasped frantically at the corpse infront of him. Leo appeared beside him.

But the thing that would always haunt him was the scream. She screamed his name, begging for help, and he was unable to do anything.

His body shook violently as tears streaked down his face. Natasha gently placed his head on the ground and pulled him into a hug, holding him close. He clung onto her tightly, dreading he would lose the only thing he had that was still worth living for.

As if sensing what he was thinking she pulled him closer, and whispered in his ear. 'I love you, Percy, and I'll never leave you. I promise. At least not willingly.' He could hear the truth in her voice.

'I swear on the Styx.' She said suddenly, before he could stop her.

He winced, still holding onto her. 'Tasha, why would you do that. You know the river will hold you to your oath. For a mortal...you will lose your soul if you break that oath. Why?'

'Because you need to get into your fucking thick skull that I love you and will never leave. I love you, and I care about you Percy.'

'Perseus.' He said.

'Perseus.' She repeated. He liked it when she said it. It felt right. Natural.

'Natalia.' She said.

'Natalia.' He repeated.

He pulled away from the hug slightly, and rested his forehead against hers, staring into her beautiful green eyes, losing himself in their depths, in indescribable and unmatched beauty.

'Thank you.' He said after several for minutes.

'For what?' She replied.

'For being here for me. For loving me, always believing in me and...I don't deserve you Tasha.'

She put a finger on his lips.

'Shhhh.' She said, and walked him backwards, and pushing him backwards onto the bed, climbing on top and pressing her lips to his, in a loving tenderness that spoke of what she really felt about him.

As usual, when she kissed him, his brain proceeded to melt through his body and into his feet, leaving him incapable of thinking about anything except her lips on his. Their indescribable softness and tenderness, as they moved lovingly against his.

She was like a drug, a drug he couldn't get enough of and craved more of with each passing day. And she knew it. She loved to remind him of the fact that she had him wrapped around her little finger. He loved it there.

She pulled away after almost a minute, both of them breathless.

'You're still hiding something from me Perseus.'

He winced. He'd have to tell her, but he knew what would follow. An explosion of violent, swearing Russian who took pleasure in causing him as much pain as possible, and would leave him hospitalised for months and unable to have children.

'I'm hiding nothing, unless you're talking about the stash of Vodka back at the mansion.'

_Click_

'I'm not going to ask again. What aren't you telling me?' He winced as the cool metal of the gun pressed into his temple. Not that he should have. _It _would defend him and itself it sensed any true harm befalling him.

'Fine.' He grumbled.

Her grip lessened on the gun, but she still kept it trained on him. He lightly pushed her off him, and started pacing around the room. She kept her gun trained on him.

'Last night, when I said I have a year left to live...I spoke with a politicians tongue. I said I have a year to the poison kills me.'

'And?' She said, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't making this easy.

Suddenly, he realised just how long he had left to live. He wasn't afraid of dying, he was afraid of what he would become once it took control of him. Providing it didn't kill him. His breathing grew laborious, and he staggered backwards and leant against the wall, sliding down it so he was sitting on the floor. Sweat appeared on his brow.

'10 days.' He gasped out, as Natasha knelt next to him. She'd ditched the gun, leaving it lying on the bed.

'10 days at best till it..till it kills me...or takes control.'

'At best?' She asked softly.

He nodded. 'I can only guarantee three, maybe four days, as myself, after that...' He left the sentence hanging. There was no need to finish it.

She took his hand. 'You're not going to die.' She said. He had to resist snorting. He knew there was no cure. He'd searched five hundred years for a cure to the poison, and he was now so bonded with the artefact, that he was practically bonded to it, even in death.

And if he somehow was separated from it, which he would never let happen, because then death's pawn would get it. And if he got the rest of the ancient artefacts...it would be the end of all life in the universe.

'Prophecies have _double meanings._' She said, laying stress on the last two words to emphasize her point. He felt like laughing. As if he didn't know. He'd spent half a millennium deciphering the meaning of the words of the ancient text from every angle, it was pretty clear what his fate would be.

Which was exactly why he tried to push Natasha away. But every time he tried, he found himself drawing closer to her. And she was so damn persistent on loving him, like she didn't care he was destined to die. She didn't deserve to have the one good thing, or at least the one thing she thought was good in her life taken away from her.

He was a monster.

'You're not a monster.' She said, as if reading his thoughts.

It was uncanny how she did that. How she always seemed to know what he was thinking. He felt like she'd cut him open on a surgical table and examined all his deepest darkest secrets.

'I am. The prophecy is pretty clear on that.'

He gritted his teeth, and tried to push himself up from his feet, but Natasha pushed him back down and glared.

'We're not done here.'

'It refers to your most powerful transformation, _Nveryioth._'

'I know what it refers to. It refers to the artefact taking control of me, and forcing me to kill billions.'

'You can't say that.'

'There may be a way to avoid it.'

'How?' She asked. He sighed. She was going to kill him when he told her. She'd probably put him in her infamous thigh choke and strangle him until he came up with another way so he could live.

'You know how it will...defend itself if it feels itself or me threatened?' She nodded.

'Well, I've spent the last nine months making potions and casting spells and that sort of stuff to make a failsafe.'

'What's the failsafe?' She asked, eyes narrowing. He had a feeling that she had a suspicion about what it actually was.

He pulled a knife from inside his cloak, and placed it in her hand, closing her fingers around it.

'You.' He said, wincing and preparing for the explosion. He didn't have to wait long.

'WHAT!' She shrieked. He had to resist the urge to cover his ears with his hands.

In barely a second she'd knocked the air from his lungs and wrapped her thighs around his neck painfully tight.

'HOW DARE YOU!' She screamed, and somehow her legs drew tighter around his neck. He gasped for breath.

'Isn't...this...proof...enough?' He choked out. He'd have been dead by now if he was human. Thankfully to his heritage he could go much longer without air.

'What do you mean?' She hissed dangerously.

'Can...we...talk...like...civilised...people?' He choked out. He could feel the lack of oxygen start to burn.

'Fine.' She spat viciously. 'If you so much as twitch when I let you go, I will rip off your dick and eat it.' She unwound her legs, and he rolled away gasping for air.

He swallowed nervously. It was crazy that he was turned on whenever she threatened to hurt him, particularly when she threatened to remove his manlihood. To be honest, he wasn't sure if she'd do it. He'd never pushed her so far before, but he sensed now if he so much as breathed wrong, she wouldn't hesitate to follow through with her threats.

She dropped onto his chest hard, and he winced, as she sat on his chest and pulled out a gun, clicking off the safety and placing it under his chin. He didn't have to look to know the other was trained on his private parts.

'Explain.' She stated coldly. All the emotion had left her eyes, leaving them as cold as a Russian winter.

'The artefact takes a host, stealing their power and consuming them, or in my case...eventually killing me.'

'Don't say that.'

He held up his hands. 'Please just let me explain, without interruption. You can kill me however you want afterwards.'

Her eye twitched dangerously. She lowered the gun and dropped it beside him. 'Fine.' She said through gritted teeth.

He took a deep breath. 'It takes a host. In most cases, well the host is to weak...and are, well vaporised. Any of the others...just touching it will vaporise them. In the case of a being that is powerful enough to hold it without dying, then they can use its power. In part, at least.'

It didn't make sense. The dark elves had modified the object, changed its ability to be able turn matter into dark matter. From his research he had gauged that only a dark elf would have the ability to revert it to its original state, and there was only one dark elf left in the universe, which meant...shit, this was worse than he though. No wonder the Titan...

It didn't change a thing though. Even a dark elf with pure intentions, and there had only been one in history, would not be corrupted by it. He had to finish telling Natasha his assumptions.

'Me, well, I believe that me combining so many races, powerful ones, and most of them being immortal, makes me, immortal, or at least able to live for a long, long time. It also makes me very, very powerful.'

'Then how can't you resist it?' She asked.

'Because I can't fight the poison and the artefact at the same time. There is no cure for the poison; if it wasn't for my healing powers...I would have died days after the poison entered me. Nearly ninety percent of my power is constantly focused on healing me, and being literally ripped apart and put back together again a dozen times a minute (she gasped) well, even I can't resist forever against their combined forces.'

Tears streaked down her face. 'Does it...hurt?' She asked, then winced at her stupid question.

'Yeah, but you grow used to the pain. Point is, I have a duty, as one of the few beings who can have an ancient artefact in its possession, without dying, to take care of it, especially with the mad titan actively hunting them. And since, I can't resist it's power to corrupt me, I need a way to end me before I, do something horrible.'

'But why me?'

'Do you not think if I knew this I would have ended my life instantly?' He asked softly. God knew he had tried, but every time it had stopped him.

'Yes.' She whispered.

'I tried, believing me I did. But every time, it defended itself. So I needed a way to stop it, and I knew only you could. When it went...completely psycho after I saw what the Red Room did to you in January...' They both winced in remembrance of those events.

Briefly, it had taken control of him, and used his most destructive power, his inhuman power to kill thousands in his rage, and to brutally murder the Red Room members who had been chasing after Natasha who had escaped with the help of Hawkeye. When he'd found out she was captured, saying he was pissed would be an understatement.

'Well, after that I found it, that it was reacting to my feelings for you, then I thought, If I built a failsafe within myself, so that I could never truly hurt you, then I could at least take some comfort in being in possession of it, even though I can't get rid of it, because it's now bound to me.'

'I didn't know.' She whispered.

'Yeah, well...' It killed him, but he knew he had to give her a chance to walk away from him. He knew, deep down, that even if she did walk away from him, she'd come back to make sure he was put down. 'Now you know how doomed I am, so feel free to-'

He was cut short when she slammed her lips onto his, and instantly all intelligent thought in his brain turned to mush. She poured all her emotion in to the kiss, all her love pain and anger, and it left him breathless. She didn't need to speak to tell him exactly what she thought.

After a minute she pulled away, and they were both gasping for breath. Her hands cupped the side of his face, and he looked straight into her eyes. All he saw was love, and a burning desire to be with him.

'You know Russians are very possessive of who they love Percy, and I love you. So as far as I'm concerned, you belong to me. And you are not going to die.'

'My death's been sealed since I was born, Tasha. There's little I can do to-' She cut him off again by placing her hand over his mouth.

'Is my love not enough? Is it not enough to allow you to resist it?' She removed her hand.

'Maybe...' He said hesitantly. He wasn't sure, but it was possible that it could stop him going dark. After all, she was the only thing he lived for, and he was sure if he hadn't seen her alive after his little episode back in January, it would of claimed him long ago.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. 'What if you accept it?' She asked.

'What?' He asked shocked, freezing, before muttering his thoughts out loud as though he were by himself. 'Maybe. It could work...but I would wait till...till the end just in case...maybe if I accept it willingly I could control it...if you love me and guide me...'

'Of course I will.' She whispered in his ear, making him jump, and realise he had been thinking out loud.

'Are you sure?' He asked.

'Percy, I don't care that you're going to die. I don't love you any less. So yes, I'm sure.'

She closed her eyes and leant towards him, drawing closer, agonizingly slowly. Just before she reached his lips, she stopped, and leant away.

'You stink.' She said unexpectedly.

'What?' He said bewildered.

'You stink, go take a shower. Or better yet...' He eyes flashed hungrily, and he knew he was in trouble. _Please don't say it_. He thought silently.

'You're joining me in the shower.' He felt his face go red, and he desperately though of an excuse to get out of it.

'It's a...a...one person shower.' He said doubtfully, and winched as her eyes lit up with a predatory grin, as if she'd just captured her prey. He knew he'd just trapped himself.

'Well then...we'll have to get cozy then, won't we?'

'I'm sure you can-'A knife appeared under his chin faster than he could blink. 'Ok' He shrieked. Sometimes, he really hated how much control she had over him.

She laughed, and kissed him. God, he loved that laugh, it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, not counting her voice.

'Percy, I will never leave you.' And somehow, he knew she wouldn't part from him, even if she had to experience a million of the most brutal deaths imaginable.

* * *

**Hey guys. I want to apologize for such a long wait between chapters. As you may have noticed I removed chapter 6 about a week ago. This is because I had originally planned to put the whole final battle of the Giant War in the story, which I had written like 50,000 words on, but then decided to scrap that because I felt like it didn't fit with the story. But don't worry. All will be revealed eventually.**

**Also, in order to get updates out faster I will now be doing mostly shorter chapters, more like 3000-4000 words then 5000-10000 words like previous chapters. I hope this works better for you guys. **

**And lastly if you have not seen Avengers age of Ultron, you need to, because it is freaking amazing, and I am defiantly burrowing some elements of the movie to feature in the story, but it will be changed slightly. The story will mostly remained as originally planned. **

**Again, sorry for so long between updates, and I will try my best to make updates faster, but I can't make any promises. Also, I highly recommend you watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Daredevil, as I will also be burrowing elements for there, (particularly S.H.I.E.L.D, as you may have noticed in the last chapter) and because they are also great shows.**

**I love you guys, and don't forget to review, fav, and follow.**


	7. IMPORTANT!

**Hey guys.**

**So I know your probably pissed that this is an authors note, but I have some very important news. I think I'll start with the bad news first.**

**The bad news is that this story is over. I have recently read through it, and am very unhappy with the writing, which is honestly weak, and not up to what I am capable of, or would like. **

**Now for the good news. I will be restarting this story, but bigger, better and more polished. I've been reading like crazy the last month, trying to find a writing style that suits me.**

**I am also doing deep planning ahead of my story, and developing character profiles for all of my characters, to help personally define each character. An example of one, not related to this story will be uploaded to my profile page soon.**

**As I said, I have developed basic summaries for twenty chapters, and am currently planning out the rest. **

**I have developed a checklist for each chapter after finishing it, for use in editing. You can rest assured that I will not update the story unless I am 100% happy with the chapter. **

**I hope to have the first chapter of this story uploaded by the end of June, but if not then, definitely by the end of July.**

**I will keep this story up for a month after I post the new one, so all my followers and those who have favriouted my story have time to move to the new and improved story. **

**I will update this story again, when the new story is uploaded.**

**Thanks for understanding, and I hope that you will enjoy the improved story once it is uploaded. Please shoot a review or pm with any suggestions, and what you would like to see, as two minds are better than one. And feel free to rant at me to.**

**ShieldRune5847**


	8. The end

**Hey guys.**

**So the new story is up, and this story has ended. But the good news is that the new story will be way better, so I encourage you to read it. I also have plans for other stories upcoming, which are detailed in my profile. But the proper version of avengers age of ultron will be the main story, the others jsut side projects. The link is below. Thanks guys, you rule.**

**ShieldRune5847**

** s/11351038/1/Avengers-Age-Of-Ultron**

**P.S this story will be removed at the end of july**


End file.
